International Advisory Committee

Chair

A smiling middle-aged man wearing glasses, a patterned dress shirt, and a dark jacket against a white background.

  • Daniel Lebel spent most of his career in the Geological Survey of Canada, including Director General from 2011 to 2024 and other executive and managerial roles.

    He also led geoscience research in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta and Quebec Appalachians and authored over 50 geoscientific research and other papers.

Other Members

A F R I C A

A portrait of a woman with short, natural hair, wearing glasses, black circular earrings, and a white textured sweater, smiling against a plain dark background.

  • University of Buea

  • Geological Survey of Namibia

    Mrs Nguno serves as a Deputy Director at the Geological Survey of Namibia (GSN) and holds an MSc in Geology and Mineralogy from the University of Helsinki, Finland. She has proven track record of leading geoscience projects, managed research teams, and fostering collaborations with local and international research institutions. Mrs Nguno holds leadership positions in several professional organizations, including Vice-President for Southern Africa-Geological Society of Africa, President of the Geoscience Council of Namibia, and committee member of multiple international technical working groups (i.e., AU- African Mineral and Energy Resources Classification and Management System - and Pan African Resource Reporting Code & former member of the IUGS Nominating Committee for the term 2020-2024).

Generic gray silhouette of a person on a plain background.
Generic gray silhouette of a person on a light background.

  • UNESCO

    Kombada Mhopjeni is the National Programme Officer for Natural Sciences at the UNESCO Windhoek office.  She leads the delivery of UNESCO’s science programs in Namibia and coordination of the geoscience program in Southern Africa drawing on over 18 years of scientific experience in the government, including various roles in geosciences and management.  She served as the national representative for the International Union of Geological Sciences and the Co-Secretary General of the IUGS Commission for the Management and Application of Geoscience Information. Kombada is an Executive Member of the Geological Society of Namibia and founding National Representative of the Young Earth Scientists Network Namibia chapter.

    She holds a MSc in Geology from the University of Western Australia.

  • University of Johannesburg / DSTI-NRF CIMERA / Editor ICCP Newsletter

Silhouette of a generic user icon on a plain background.

  • Senegal Geological Survey / Organisation of African Geological Surveys

  • Council of Geosciences, South Africa / Organisation of African Geological Surveys

Close-up of a smiling African American woman with short hair, wearing a navy blue blazer and blouse, against a neutral gray background.
Silhouette of a person on a plain background.

A S I A / I N D I A

Professional portrait of a middle-aged Asian man with gray hair, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and a blue tie, against a white background.
Placeholder image of a generic user icon with a gray silhouette of a person on a gray background.
Gray placeholder avatar with a circular head and rounded shoulders on a light background.

  • Task Group on Submarine Geohazards (TGSG) / Yamaguchi University

  • Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology

Placeholder silhouette of a person on a light gray background.

  • Anna University / Geological Society of India

  • Kangwon National University / IGC 2024: Busan

    Daekyo Cheong, began to study geology in Seoul National University, Korea and was graduated in 1979 with BS and in 1984 with MS in geology. In 1987 he started a graduate study in United State and received another MS degree in geology from University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, and completed the PhD dissertation work in 1990 at University of South Carolina, U.S.A.

    He worked as a Professor of Geology at Kangwon National University in Korea by 2022. He took in charge of a Co-Chairman of Bidding Committee for IGC 2024 in Korea. After winning the bid of IGC 2024 in Busan, Korea, I have served as the Chairman of Organizing Committee of IGC 2024. He also served as the President of Geological Society of Korea(GSK) and  the Korea Geoscience Union (KGU), and the Vice President of IUGS.

Placeholder silhouette of a person on a gray background.
Gray placeholder silhouette of a person on a plain gray background
Placeholder image of a person silhouette icon.
Placeholde avatar silhouette with a gray circle for a head and a gray rounded shape for shoulders against a light background.

  • International Association for Structural Geology and Tectonics (IASGT)

  • CCOP Technical Secretariat

  • Geological Survey of India

  • China University of Geosciences

A U S T R A L I A

Blank placeholder avatar silhouette with a gray background
A middle-aged man with blue eyes, light brown hair, and fair skin, smiling and dressed in a navy blazer, white shirt, and yellow-striped tie, standing in an office with a blurred colorful map of Australia on the wall behind him.
Placeholder image of a generic user icon with a gray silhouette of a person on a light gray background.

  • IUGS Commission on Geoscience Education (COGE) / CSIRO/Charles Darwin University

  • Retired Branch Manager for Mineral Exploration at Geoscience Australia; Exploration Consultant

    Dr Richard Blewett (PhD, MBA, PSM) is a highly respected geoscientist with over 30 years of experience in mineral, energy, groundwater, and environmental geoscience.

    A former General Manager at Geoscience Australia, he led national initiatives like Exploring for the Future and authored key strategies to guide exploration and investment. Richard is passionate about making geoscience meaningful beyond the technical sphere.

    As Chief Editor of Shaping a Nation: A Geology of Australia, he helped bring Australia’s geological story to life for experts and the wider community.

    He now leads GeoSystems Consulting and Weethalle Gold, helping clients unlock resource potential and engage diverse stakeholders.

  • Emeritus Professor, University of New South Wales Sydney / IUGS Executive Committee‍

E U R O P E

Placeholder silhouette of a person on a light gray background.
Grey placeholder avatar silhouette on light grey background.
Placeholder silhouette of a person on a light gray background.
Placeholder image with a gray silhouette of a person on a light background.

  • University of Cambridge

  • Association of Ibero-American Geological and Mining Surveys

A woman in a red jacket smiles at the camera while hiking outdoors, with waterfalls and a cloudy sky in the background.
Generic gray silhouette of a person on a light background.

  • University of Salamanca

    Lola Pereira is professor at the university of Salamanca, Spain. She teaches Geochemistry and Applied Geochemistry courses of Geology and Engineering Geology degrees.

    She graduated in Geology by the University of Salamanca; Master in Sciences by the University of Portsmouth (UK). Postdoc and visiting researcher at McMaster University’s Nuclear Reactor Facility (1992-1996).

    She has been the chair of the IUGS Publications Committee, Secretary General of the Heritage Stones IUGS Subcommission and now is a councillor of the IUGS Executive Committee (2022-2026) and the Secretary General of the International Medical Geology Association (IMGA).

    Lola has been responsible for more than 40 projects (regional, national and international); editor of 3 books, 9 book chapters and co-editor of 3 books. Guest editor for 6 special issues in JCR journals and author of more than 100 papers in national and international journals. She has coordinated and co-coordinated many sessions at international conferences.

  • Emeritus Professor, University of Aberdeen

A woman with brown hair and light makeup smiling for the camera in front of a bookshelf filled with books.
Placeholder image of a generic person's icon with a gray silhouette on a light background.
Man outdoors wearing glasses, a houndstooth flat cap, a blue jacket, and a black waterproof coat with a strap around his neck, with trees in the background.

  • IUGS Commission on Global Geochemical Baselines / Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis / Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration

  • Basque Coast UNESCO Global Geopark / International Commission on Geoheritage / Global Geoparks Network Executive Committee / IGCP

Placeholder silhouette of a person with a gray background.

  • IUGS Commission on the History of Geological Sciences / University of Insubria

    Ezio Vaccari is professor of History of Sciences and Technology and director of the Center on the History of Mountains, Material Culture and Earth Sciences at the University of Insubria (Varese, Italy). He is also the President of the IUGS International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences (INHIGEO).

    In 2020 he received the Geological Society of America’s Mary C. Rabbitt History of Geology Award.

    His research focuses on the history of geoscience from the early Modern age to the Contemporary period, particularly the history of stratigraphy in mountain areas and the historical relationship between mining and geology. He has published four monographs and 133 articles.

  • International Commission on Stratigraphy / University of Milan

Generic placeholder image of a gray silhouette of a person on a light gray background.
A generic gray silhouette of a person on a light gray background.

  • EuroGeoSurveys

  • Queen’s University

Placeholder or default profile silhouette image with a gray icon of a person on a light background.

  • British Geological Survey

    Kathryn Goodenough is a principal geologist at the British Geological Survey, where she leads the programme of externally commissioned international work and collaboration. She has a research background in the geology of critical raw materials.

  • Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources / Europe and EuroGeoSurveys / Geological Mapping & Modelling

Close-up of a woman with curly gray and red hair, wearing a black sweater and a yellow shirt underneath.

  • University of Heidelberg

  • IUGS Commission on Geoethics / Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia

    PhD Geologist, Researcher at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (Italy), her activity addresses georisks, geohazards, and issues at the geoscience-society-policy interface.

    Internationally recognized leader in geoethics, she studies the ethical, social, and cultural implications of geological knowledge and practice. She serves as President of the International Association for Promoting Geoethics, Chair of the IUGS Commission on Geoethics, Chairholder in Geoethics at the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences, Chair of the EGU Working Group in Geoethics. Distinguished Service Award 2026 by the Geological Society of London in recognition of her contributions to the geosciences and international leadership.

N O R T H A M E R I C A

Gray placeholder silhouette of a person on a light background.
Placeholder silhouette of a person on a gray background.
Generic gray placeholder silhouette of a person

  • William and Mary University

  • IGC 2028 Foundation / Professor Emeritus, University of Calgary

    Professor David Eaton was appointed 2015-2020 as NSERC/Chevron Industrial Research Chair in Microseismic System Dynamics in the Department of Geoscience at the University of Calgary. Together with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, his work focuses primarily on advancement of research, education and technological innovations in microseismic methods and their practical applications for resource development, with a secondary focus on the deep lithospheric structure of continents. In 2007, he rejoined the University of Calgary as Head of the Department of Geoscience, after an 11-year academic career at the University of Western Ontario. His postdoctoral research experience included work at Arco’s Research and Technical Services (Plano, Texas) and the Geological Survey of Canada (Ottawa). He has recently published a textbook on Passive Seismic Monitoring of Induced Seismicity. His work has been recognized by several major awards including the J. Tuzo Wilson medal from the Canadian Geophysical Union and a 2020 NSERC Synergy Award for Innovation.

Blank generic user profile silhouette icon
Generic outline of a person silhouette with no identifying features.

  • University of Calgary

  • Geological Society of America

A man with long curly hair and a goatee smiling outdoors, with trees showing yellow leaves in the background, wearing a maroon T-shirt with a camera graphic.
Close-up of a woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sportswear, with a mountainous forest landscape in the background.

  • University of Minnesota / IUGS Commission on Geoscience Information / IUGS Deep Time Digital Earth

  • American Geosciences Institute

A woman with curly hair and glasses smiling outdoors by a lake with houses and trees in the background.

  • IGC 2028 NOC / Mount Royal University / CFES

    Katherine is fascinated by the processes that form the “Earth beneath our feet”. She is the Director for the Community Science Liaison program that strives to embed place- and curriculum-based citizen science programs in Canadian kindergarten to grade 12 classrooms. Teachers appreciate these projects because they bring the real world into their classrooms, students feel empowered because they contribute towards improved understanding of their scientific-environmental backyards and scientists get rejuvenated passions for their disciplines through these student’s enthusiasm and energetic approaches to these programs.

    Katherine is also a very passionate promoter of the geosciences and has just recently developed a model to change the general public perception of the geosciences through national and international collaborations across these geoscience communities represented by various components of this Canadian bid to host IGC 2028.

    In addition to being the Chair for the CNC – IUGS and the International Director for the Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences; Katherine developed significant management, leadership and communication skills through her 33 years in the Royal Canadian Naval Reserves (RCNR) where she was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee medal for her combined service to the RCNR and the geoscience academic community.

  • Cape Breton University / CFES

    Dr. Lilian Navarro is currently working as a Lab Instructor at Cape Breton University (CBU). Prior joining CBU, Lilian earned her BSc from the Universidad Central de Venezuela, and she received her MSc, PhD, and Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Ottawa. Her research work has particularly focused on process-based sedimentological characterization, stratigraphic architecture, geochemical analyses, and sedimentary evolution of ancient deep-water systems in Canada and Venezuela. She is currently the Secretary of Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences (CFES).

A generic gray silhouette of a person on a light gray background.
A woman with short, dark hair, wearing a pink satin blouse and a multicolored scarf, standing against a stone wall.

  • Geological Society of America

  • Manitoba Geological Survey / IAGOD

    Tânia Martins obtained her PhD in Geology in 2009 from the University of Porto (Portugal) studying Li-Sn-Nb-Ta mineralization in granitic pegmatites.

    In 2010 and 2011 Tânia worked at the University of Manitoba, Canada, on the mineralogy of alkaline rocks and carbonatites.

    Tânia joined the Manitoba Geological Survey in November 2011 and has since May 2023, been Chief Geologist for the Precambrian Geoscience section.

  • University of Iowa

  • United States Geological Survey

A smiling middle-aged man with short gray hair and glasses, wearing a red plaid shirt, against a plain light background.
Generic grayscale placeholder silhouette of a person with no identifying features.
Placeholder silhouette of a person on a plain background

  • CGU / Queen’s University

  • IGC 2028 NOC / University of Calgary

    Glenn is a geologist, turned ninth-grade earth science teacher, turned geoscience education researcher.

    He is currently an associate professor at the University of Calgary in the Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment, where he has been since 2013. His research focuses on teaching geoscience content using the history and philosophy of geology. He also researches how the use of metaphor impacts teaching and learning and how students learn when using virtual outcrop models.

Placeholder image of a generic user silhouette.

S O U T H A M E R I C A

Placeholder image of a generic user icon with a gray silhouette of a person on a light background.

  • Geological Society of Chile

  • Colegio de Geólogos de Costa Rica / Universidad de Costa Rica

    Gerardo J. Soto is a Costa Rican geologist graduated from University of Costa Rica (1985); professional specialty in volcanology, and in history of geology; master in Humanities (2015).

    Has worked in academia, in the public sector, and in the private sector as international geological consultant since 2002.

A man in a light gray suit, glasses, and a purple checkered tie standing behind a podium decorated with white and peach flowers, giving a presentation at a conference.
A young woman with long dark hair speaking into a microphone during a presentation or speech. She is wearing a blue and white patterned dress and has a yellow lanyard around her neck. The background shows a white wall with colorful banners or posters.

  • Colombian Geological Survey

    Jorge Gómez Tapias is the first author of the Geological Map of Colombia and the Geological Map of South America and served as editor–in–chief of ‘The Geology of Colombia’, the first comprehensive multivolume publication on the geology of Colombia.

    He is regular member of the IUGS–Commission on Geosciece Education and vice president for South America of the Commision for the Geological Map of the World. He has organized 150 events, including congresses, symposia, seminars, workshops, sessions, and courses.

  • IUGS Young Reporters Initiative / Universidad de Santiago de Chile

Gray placeholder profile icon with a circular head and shoulders outline on a light background.

  • Colombia Geological Survey

    Juliana Andrea Avendaño Ascencio is a young geologist at the Colombian Geological Survey.

    She led the organization of the 14th Technical Week of Geology in 2024 and supported the local coordination of the 82nd IUGS Executive Committee Meeting.

  • Los Andes University

Close-up of a smiling middle-aged man with gray hair and beard, wearing a dark blazer and black shirt.
Placeholder silhouette of a person on a light gray background.
A middle-aged man with short, dark, and gray hair, wearing a navy blue shirt with white polka dots, standing outside with a blurred autumnal background.
Generic gray placeholder image of a person silhouette.

  • University of Campiñas

  • Universidad de Buenos Aires /
    Asociación Geológica Argentina

    Dr. Pablo J. Pazos is the Head of the GISS (Ichnology, Sedimentology, and Stratigraphy Group) at IDEAN (Institute of Andean Studies), located within the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). He serves as a Principal Researcher for the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and as an Associate Professor at UBA. His research focuses on marine and transitional paleoenvironments, with specific expertise in facies analysis, ichnology, and geobiology.

    Pablo is a former Director of IDEAN and is currently serving his second term as President of the Argentine Geological Association (AGA).