COLUMBUS, Ohio – Melisa Diaz, an associate professor in earth sciences and the principal investigator of the Polar and Environmental Geochemistry Lab at The Ohio State University, has been named a 2025–2027 CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar. She is the first Ohio State scholar and one of only 12 researchers selected this year for this prestigious honor, which supports the next generation of research leaders tackling global challenges.
Diaz’s research focuses on using geochemical techniques to investigate the role of ice and glacier meltwater in delivering nutrients to coastal ecosystems, which are critical for local fisheries, and to understand how chemicals are stored in ice as analogs for extraterrestrial environments. Her research, which has allowed her to study geological processes in Antarctica, Greenland and urban systems, and on other planets, bridges the physical, biological and social sciences, with implications for both Earth and faraway planetary systems.
The CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars program, now celebrating its 10th anniversary, recognizes exceptional early-career scientists and scholars from around the globe. This year’s cohort was selected from a highly competitive pool of 232 applicants representing leading institutions across Canada, the United States, Germany, Ireland and Israel. This award recognizes Diaz’s groundbreaking research in polar geochemistry and celebrates her leadership in connecting science to pressing issues. Scholars will participate in four interdisciplinary CIFAR research programs, working alongside internationally renowned experts to explore fundamental questions across science and society.
Diaz’s selection places her among a distinguished group of researchers who will contribute to CIFAR’s Earth 4D: Subsurface Science & Exploration program. It is one of 5 distinct Impact Clusters that address significant global issues. This program’s multidisciplinary team will seek to expand understanding of how life interacts with Earth’s resources, water cycle and climate. They will also study the co-evolution of the planet and life and the implications for planetary exploration and astrobiology.
The CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars program is made possible by support from the Azrieli Foundation. Each scholar receives 100,000 in Canadian dollars. The award goes toward unrestricted research funding and access to international collaboration and leadership development opportunities. As equal members of CIFAR’s global research community, the scholars are expected to forge new interdisciplinary paths and contribute to high-impact discoveries.
Diaz earned her PhD from Ohio State in 2020 as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. Afterward, she also received a prestigious award for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Postdoctoral Scholar program and later returned to Ohio State with a named professorship as a Provost’s Early Career Scholar Assistant Professor.
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Contact: Melisa Diaz, Diaz.237@osu.edu
Written by: Tatyana Woodall, Woodall.52@osu.edu