Best Master Thesis Award
2023 Best MSc Thesis
The Swiss Geological Society offers an award for the best MSc thesis in Earth Sciences completed at a Swiss academic institution. The award consists of a cash prize of CHF 3000
Applications for the 2023 Best MSc Thesis award, completed between 1 October 2022 and 30 September 2023, should be submitted electronically to Prof. Jörg Hermann, president of the Swiss Geological Society: joerg.hermann@geo.unibe.ch.
The application should include a copy of the MSc thesis (pdf < 10 MByte) and a recommendation letter from the main advisor and should be submitted before 1 October 2023.
2022 Best MSc thesis
The winner of the 2022 Best Thesis Award from the Swiss Geological Society is Kim Lemke from the University Bern, now at the University of Lausanne for the work: “Ophiolitic Relicts in the Cima-Lunga Unit and Adula Nappe (Central Alps): Timing the Transition from High-Pressure Melting to Amphibolite Facies”. Kim studied high-grade metamorphic rocks from the Central Alps, focussing on Petrography and Petrology combined with trace element geochemistry and particularly dating of metamorphic zircon and rutile. The Jury was particularly impressed by the data-rich thesis of Kim.
2021 Best MSc thesis
The 2021 best MSc thesis award was given to Markus Rast (ETH Zürich) for the thesis: "Geology, geochronology and rock magnetics along Bedretto tunnel (Gotthard Massif, Central Alps) and numerical modelling of quartz-biotite aggregates". The thesis involved fieldwork in the BedrettoLab tunnel, investigating the magnetism of quartz-biotite shear zones, detailed structural analyses and modelling, as well as zircon dating from the shear zones and the host granit. The Jury was particularly impressed by the large range of topics that were covered by the thesis. Markus Rast successfully related all different research directions of to a well-rounded thesis that truly helps understanding the thermal, temporal and tectonic evolution of the Gotthard massif in the context of the Alpine orogeny. The award ceremony took place during the 2021 virtual SGM meeting in Geneva.
2020 Best MSc thesis
The 2020 best MSc thesis award was given to Corin Jorgenson (Université de Genève). The title of the MSc thesis was: "Consequences of magma-CO2 interaction for explosive volcanism at Colli Albani (Italy)". The award ceremony took place during the 2020 virtual SGM meeting in Zürich.
2019 Best MSc thesis
On November 22nd, 2019, the best MSc 2019 award was given to Philippos Garefalakis (University of Bern). The award ceremony took place during the SGM2019 meeting in Fribourg. Philippos received the CHF 3000 cash prize from the president of the Swiss Geological Society, Jörg Hermann. The title of the MSc thesis was: "Tectonic, eustatic and surface controls on the Burdigalian transgression recorded in the Upper Marine Molasse in Switzerland".
2018 Best MSc thesis
In 2018 the MSc award was given to two young scientists, Luca Paolillo from the Département des sciences de la Terre, Université de Genève, and Timothy Schmid from the Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich. The award ceremony took place on November 30th during the SGM2018 meeting in Bern.
Luca Paolilla - MSc thesis: Petrochronology of zircons from magmatic rocks of the Kisladag Au(-Mo) porphyry deposit (western Anatolia, Turkey). Supervisor Dr. Massimo Chiaradia
Timothy Schmid - MSc thesis: 3D geometric and numerical modelling of folding in the Taznakht Area, Morocco. Supervisors Prof. Neil Mancktelow and Prof. Stefan Schmalholz
2017 Best MSc thesis
No Best MSc thesis award was given in 2017.
2016 Best MSc thesis
The 2016 Best MSc thesis award went to Jacqueline Huber of the Department of Geography at the Univeristy of Zürich. The thesis was entitled "The Glacier Inventory of the Antarctic Peninsula - A Reassessment of Existing Datasets" and was supervised by Michael Zemp and Frank Paul. Jacqueline received the award at the Swiss Geoscience Meeting in Geneva on Friday, November 18, 2016
2015 Best MSc thesis
The Swiss Geological Society Award for the best MSc thesis 2015 was presented to Anna Rauch on November 20th, 2015 at the Swiss Geoscience Meeting in Basel, for her thesis: "Structural and stratigraphic relationships between ophiolite and sedimentary cover at Piz Mundin, Lower Engadine Window, Graubünden, Switzerland". The thesis was supervised by Dr. Mario Sartori.
2014 Best Msc thesis
In 2014 Xin Zhong of the Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich, received the best MSc award for his thesis: Physical properties of amphibole and phlogopite-bearing peridotites from Finero, Ivrea Zone (Italy): An experimental and numerical investigation. The thesis was supervised by Dr. Alba Zappone, Dr. Marcel Frehner, Dr. Erik Saenger, Dr. Karsten Kunze and Prof. Peter Ulmer.
2013 Best Msc thesis
In 2013, the best MSc award went to Nicolas Buchs of the Institut des Sciences de la Terre, Université de Lausanne for his thesis: Géochimie, métamorphisme et structures dans la Zone de Zermatt-Saas Fee du Pfulwe au Strahlhorn, Zermatt. The thesis was supervised by Prof. Lukas Baumgartner.
2012 Best Msc thesis
Max Peters of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the University of Bern received the best MSc award in 2012 for his thesis: Spatial distribution of quartz recrystallization microstructures in the Aar massif (Swiss Central Alps). The thesis was supervised by Prof. Marco Herwegh and Prof. Adrian Pfiffner.
2011 Best Msc thesis
In 2011 the award went to Luca Malatesta of the Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich, for his thesis: Landscape evolution and lateral growth of the southwest Tian Shan, Uzbekistan: Catchments development in central Asia at historical and geological timescales. Supervisors of the thesis. Prof. Sébastien Castelltort, Prof. Vincenzo Picotti and Dr. Susan Ivy-Ochs.
2010 Best Msc thesis
The 2010 Best MSc thesis award went to Frederico A. Galster of the Institut de Géologie et Paléontologie de l'Université de Lausanne for his thesis: Stratigraphie des zones du Piz Terri - Lunschania et de Soja, Alpes centrales (Suisse). The thesis was supervised by Dr. Jean-Luc Epard.
2009 Best Msc thesis
In 2009 the Best MSc thesis award was given to Battista Matasci of the Institut de Géologie et Paléontologie de l'Université de Lausanne for his thesis: la Zone du Teggiolo: stratigraphie et tectonique dans le Val Bavona et le Val di peccia (Pennique inférieur, Ticino). Dr. Jean-Luc Epard supervised the thesis.
2008 Best Msc thesis
The first Best MSc thesis award in 2008 went to Reto de Paoli and Laurent Thun, both of the Institut de Géologie et Paléontologie de l'Université de Lausanne for their thesis: Implications géodynamiques de l'étude pétrographique des flyschs du Crétacé supérieur du Piolit, du Pelat et de Baiardo (Alpes occidentales). Prof. Gérard Stampfli supervised the thesis.