The Ohio State University's Office of Academic Affairs has named Melisa Diaz, assistant professor (starting January 2024) at the School of Earth Sciences (SES) and a principal investigator at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, as one of the four recipients of the 2023-24 Provost's Early Career Scholars. 

Diaz, who earned her Ph.D. from Ohio State's SES, is a geochemist specializing in surficial processes and ice-water-soil interactions in polar regions, urban systems and ocean worlds. 

These scholars join a multidisciplinary cohort, participating in activities focused on research, scholarship and social programming. They will also interact with university leaders and administrators. Each Scholar also receives a named professorship for the first five years of their appointment, annual research funding, and a year to devote to their scholarship.

Other recipients include Clementine Bordeaux, assistant professor (starting August 2024) in the Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies; Eric Mbakop, assistant professor in the Department of Economics; and Manuel Santana Palacios, assistant professor at Knowlton School of Architecture, and the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, in the College of Engineering. Congratulations to all the recipients.

Learn more by visiting the Office of Faculty Affairs.