Joanna Charton, a former PhD student in the Climate team, won the AMU 2024 thesis prize (ED251), which will be awarded in 2025. The prize is awarded for outstanding doctoral work combining scientific rigour, originality and impact in the field of Earth sciences.
Original research in the Kerguelen Islands
Joanna's thesis focused on glacial fluctuations over the last 40,000 years in the Kerguelen archipelago. Combining geomorphology, geochronology and geochemistry, she studied glacial morphologies and carried out almost 80 new chlorine-36 dates on glacial surfaces.
Among its major results:
The evidence of a significant glacial advance around 42,000 years ago, during the Marine Isotope Stage 3, a period previously considered to be unfavourable for glacier extension.
The reconstruction of the glacial evolution of the archipelago during the Holocene, revealing original dynamics linked to interactions between ocean surface temperatures and precipitation.
The contribution to a glaciological modelling study anticipating the disappearance of the Ampère glacier by 2100, illustrating the relevance of palaeoenvironmental data in understanding and predicting current changes.
This work has been highlighted in several international publications and presentations at national and international conferences, testifying to the quality and scientific impact of his thesis.
Commitment and recognition
In addition to her scientific results, Joanna Charton has distinguished herself through her community involvement and scientific mediation. A member of the laboratory council and the ED251 Doctoral School council, she has also led workshops for schoolchildren during the Fête de la science for three consecutive years. This sense of responsibility and her ability to share science were noted by the jury for the 2024 Dissertation Prize, who praised the exceptional quality of her work, her clarity of exposition and her mastery of analytical tools. Taken together, these qualities make Joanna Charton a fully deserving winner, whose career promises to continue to shed light on our understanding of glaciers and climate, past and future.