Interview with Dr. Manuel López—Winner of the Geosciences 2025 Travel Award

We wish to congratulate Dr. Manuel López on winning the Geosciences 2025 Travel Award. Dr. Manuel López is a young researcher from the Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas (CIG; CONICET-UNLP) of La Plata, Argentina. In his research, he primarily focuses on sedimentary responses to tectonic and volcanic processes and their stratigraphic preservation in continental basins and sediment routing systems. He holds an assistant teaching position in the chair of Structural Geology at the Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo (FCNYM) from the Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP; University of La Plata). Dr. Manuel also collaborates with the Latin American Journal of Sedimentology and Basin Analysis of the Asociación Argentina de Sedimentología (AAS) as an editor of production and participates in the Commission of Volcanogenic Sediments (CVSs) of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI).

Please see below for an interview with Dr. Manuel López:

1. How did winning this award impact your career, and what other career goals do you hope to achieve going forward?

Winning this award represents a fundamental source of aid that I will use to attend the 2025 Scientific Assembly of the IAVCEI. It will also consolidate my collaboration with the association as an early career researcher (ECR) and a representative Member of the Commission of Volcanogenic Sediments (CVSs). My participation in this event is an excellent opportunity to take decisive first steps as a young researcher and enhance my future research in my scientific career by sharing the advances of my new research project, expanding international social networks, and promoting the discussion and exchange of methodologies and knowledge with colleagues.

The Geosciences Travel Award is excellent for mitigating some of the costs of attending international meetings or congresses. In this sense, it is worth highlighting how important these kinds of awards are for young and senior researchers from needful countries that are sunken into transient financial scientific and academic underfunding crises promoted by denialist scientific policies.

2. What is your current research interest and why did you choose this research field?

In the last few decades, sedimentary basin analysis has focused on the production, transfer, and accumulation of sediments controlled by the interaction between tectonic, climatic, and eustatic forcings. However, in volcanically active regions, the process, volume, and timescale sediment dynamics are not exclusively controlled by these external controls. My current research focuses on how volcanism adds variable volcanic products that may be delivered to the background sedimentary systems, triggering different temporal and spatial environmental effects that could be preserved in stratigraphy within a timescale from hours to millions of years.

I chose the volcano-sedimentary research field because the interaction between volcanic and environmental variables in the short and long term implies challenges in basin analysis that are difficult to assess using classical volcanological and sedimentological techniques and formal stratigraphic analysis. This provokes conceptual gaps in our knowledge of how volcanism exerts short- and long-term control over sedimentary basin infills, mainly because each volcanic and environmental parameter is interdependent, and their effects are time-dependent in a geological record characterized by transient preservation.

Establishing an integrated temporal and spatial perspective of basin analysis and sediment routing systems is one of the major challenges for worldwide volcano-sedimentary researchers. It is also important for natural resource exploration, climate change, human hazard prevention, geoheritage, and volcano tourism. The specific research region between the Southern Volcanic Zone of the North Patagonian Andes and the foreland up to the distal coastal Atlantic Ocean represents an excellent natural laboratory on Earth where researchers can study volcanically affected basin infills and sediment routing systems.

3. What qualities do you think young scientists need?

Young scientists, especially in the field of geosciences, need to possess a unique blend of qualities that combine scientific, technical and methodological skills, and more importantly, a genuine desire to explore, discover, and learn about the Earth and its processes. That desire can be focused on one of the increasingly specific sub-disciplines of geosciences, making new advancements in knowledge possible regardless of the transient financial, emotional, or other setbacks, both within the laboratory or outdoors in the field. However, I humbly suggest that it is also fundamental that young researchers gain a critical and up-to-date global understanding of as many research fields as possible from the beginning of their careers.

This holistic point of view should not be underestimated in these days of research atomization, since it opens our minds to a comprehensive understanding of the fractal temporal and spatial complexity behind the causes and effects that govern the planet. In this sense, as the world faces pressing environmental challenges, young geoscientists and their interrelations with societies play a vital role in the sensible management of natural resources and the prediction of natural hazards.

4. If you have the opportunity, will you actively apply to attend academic conferences? What do you think you can learn from participating in conferences that you could not learn from working in a lab?

Yes, I would apply to participate in conferences at least once a year whenever possible. Active participation in conferences or academic meetings is crucial for a young scientist. These events provide valuable opportunities to develop presentation skills through various formats (posters, talks, etc.), engage with colleagues from around the world, and learn how to secure and manage funding for both participation and event organization.

Attending scientific meetings is an excellent way to gain visibility, showcase one's research, and present the latest findings. This exposure allows for constructive feedback that can help refine methodologies, enhance discussions, and ultimately lead to better results. Additionally, taking an active role in organizing sessions, coordinating field trips, or participating in conference committees fosters connections with a diverse range of colleagues, opening up numerous opportunities for future collaborations.

Finally, attending conferences also has an enjoyable side that extends beyond the academic and formal aspects. Social and cultural events, along with field trips organized by the congress, offer excellent opportunities to explore new places and connect with colleagues in a more relaxed way. These moments of enjoyment and camaraderie are not only fun but also enriching and rewarding.

5. As the winner of this award, is there anything else you would like to share, or anyone you would like to acknowledge?

First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Geosciences, especially the Travel Award Committee, for their consideration. This award is a tremendous source of support at this stage of my career. I deeply appreciate the journal’s initiative in organizing and presenting this award, along with others such as the Outstanding Reviewer Award, Editor of Distinction, Best Ph.D. Thesis Award, and Best Paper Award. I recognize that these awards play a crucial role in acknowledging the often unseen, yet fundamental scientific efforts that drive research and contribute to the advancement of knowledge.

Additionally, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to my mentors, Prof. Dr. Leandro D’Elia and Prof. Dr. Karoly Nemeth, for their unwavering encouragement and support in securing funding. Their guidance has enabled me to actively participate in scientific events by submitting papers and organizing sessions. I would also like to highlight the importance of collaborative work and recognizing the different stages of each individual’s academic journey. Fostering such development is essential for a rewarding scientific career, which is intricately tied to the natural processes that shape our world every day.