Our very own Dr Elena Belousova has been awarded the prestigious 2016 Nancy Millis Medal for Women in Science for her work in the natural sciences.

The honorific award is bestowed by the Australian Academy of Science (AAS) and recognises the work of mid-career female researchers who have established an independent research program and demonstrated exceptional leadership.

Elena’s research focuses on establishing new techniques that analyse elements present in accessory minerals to establish how different terrains have formed on our planet.

“This award is a wonderful recognition of the significant research achievements of Dr Belousova, who has accomplished much in her time at Macquarie,” said Professor Sakkie Pretorius, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research).

One of Elena’s innovations called TerraneChron®, which analyses the uranium-lead age and trace-element composition in mineral zircon, is revolutionising the element detection process. The technology allows researchers to accurately determine how a region of crust was generated over the history of Earth.

“Winning the medal has definitely helped to build my confidence and encourage me to move forward with my research in the really challenging and very exiting area that helps us to better understand the processes of Earth’s continental crust generation over a 4.5 billion year history,” Elena explained.

“This is a very generous recognition of my research achievements, but also a great responsibility to prove that in the future I do stand up to this ‘high mark’! This award will certainly provide me with significant support to move further along my career path,” she added.

Elena will be formally presented with the Nancy Millis Medal at the next Science at the Shine Dome event, to be held in Canberra in May 2016.