Everyone at Mission Spiritus is delighted to congratulate our scientific partner, Dr Maureen ‘Mo’ Raymo, on being awarded the 2026 Nemmers Prize in Earth Sciences by Northwestern University.
The Nemmers Prize is one of the world’s most prestigious awards in the Earth sciences, recognising individuals whose research has fundamentally advanced our understanding of our planet. Awarded every two years, the prize honours work of lasting international significance.
Dr Raymo, Professor of Earth and Climate Science at Columbia University and Co-Founding Dean Emerita of the Columbia Climate School, received the award in recognition of her pioneering contributions to understanding Earth’s climate history and her outstanding leadership within the Earth system sciences.
For more than three decades, Dr Raymo’s research has transformed our understanding of how Earth’s climate has evolved over millions of years. Her work investigating the relationship between oceans, ice sheets, atmospheric carbon dioxide and geological processes has helped shape modern climate science and improved our understanding of future climate change.
Since Mission Spiritus began, Dr Raymo has been far more than a scientific adviser. She has been an integral member of the team, helping to shape our scientific direction while ensuring every expedition delivers meaningful research.
From accompanying the Faroe Islands expedition in 2025 to supporting the development of our Patagonia expedition, Mo has continually demonstrated an extraordinary willingness to take world-class science beyond the laboratory and into some of the planet’s most remote environments.
Mission Spiritus exists to better understand the global distribution of microplastics and nanoplastics by collecting environmental samples from some of Earth’s most inaccessible regions. Every expedition is built upon rigorous scientific methodology, and our partnership with Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory ensures that every sample contributes to advancing scientific knowledge.
Working alongside Dr Raymo, Dr Beizhan Yan and Dr Cuizhu (Chloe) Ma, Mission Spiritus has already collected more than 150 environmental samples across Antarctica, Oman and the Faroe Islands. These samples are helping scientists better understand the global movement and accumulation of plastic pollution in environments that were once considered pristine.
The first findings from Antarctica, presented at the American Geophysical Union in December 2025, revealed the presence of nanoplastics within Antarctic snow, demonstrating just how widespread plastic pollution has become.
Alan Chambers MBE, Founder of Mission Spiritus, said:
“Mo has been an inspiration to all of us. Her scientific expertise is extraordinary, but equally impressive is her enthusiasm, humility and willingness to work alongside expedition teams in some of the world’s harshest environments. This award is richly deserved, and we are incredibly proud to have her as part of the Mission Spiritus family.”
Operations Director, Billy Perham added:
“Working with Mo has shown us what world-class science really looks like. She combines academic excellence with genuine curiosity, collaboration and a determination to make a difference. Her guidance ensures that every Mission Spiritus expedition contributes meaningful scientific data, and we’re incredibly fortunate to have her on this journey.”
As Mission Spiritus prepares for its next expedition to Patagonia, we look forward to continuing our collaboration with Dr Raymo and the outstanding scientific team at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
Congratulations, Mo, on this thoroughly deserved recognition. We are honoured to be part of your scientific journey and excited about what we will continue to discover together.
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