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Karen Hanghøj

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Karen Hanghøj
Hanghøj speaks to the European Geosciences Union in 2020
Born1966 (age 57–58)
Lemvig, Denmark[1]
Alma mater
AwardsWilliam Smith Medal (2023)
Scientific career
Institutions
Theses
  • Petrographic description of the Au–PGE mineralization in the Skaergaard intrusion (MSc, 1993)
  • Geochemistry of the East Greenland Tertiary dyke swarm; temporal and spatial variations. (PhD, 1998))

Karen Hanghøj (born 1966) is a Danish geologist with expertise in the sustainable management of natural mineral resources. In 2019 she was appointed director of the British Geological Survey. She was the first woman to take on this role since the survey was founded in 1835.[2][3][4]

Education

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Hanghøj went to school in Denmark, and studied geology at the University of Copenhagen where she obtained an MSc, and then a PhD. Her master's work involved fieldwork in east Greenland, where she studied mineralisation associated with the igneous rocks that were emplaced during the opening of the north Atlantic Ocean.[5] Her PhD thesis was a study of the geochemistry and age of the Paleogene dyke swarm in east Greenland.[6] While working in Greenland, Hanghøj also gained experience with a mining exploration company, drilling for gold and platinum in the area.[4]

Career

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After completing her PhD, Hanghøj worked both as a research geologist in academia, and in various mining and exploration geology roles as consultant. She was head of the department of economic geology and petrology at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) from 2011 to 2015. Later, she was CEO and managing director of EIT RawMaterials,[7] a European Institute of Innovation and Technology knowledge and innovation community based in Berlin set up in 2014 to 'develop raw materials into a major strength for Europe'.[4][8]

In 2019, Hanghøj was appointed Director of the British Geological Survey, the world's oldest national geological survey. She was the first woman appointed to this role.[9][10] In 2022, she established the UK Critical Minerals Centre in partnership with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to advise on the resilience of the critical mineral supply chain for the economy and for green technologies.[11]

Professional contributions

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Hanghøj has published research papers on the geology of East Greenland, the Skaergaard intrusion and the geochemistry of the Earth's crust.[12][13][14] In 2023, Hanghøj co-edited a special publication of the Geological Society, The Green Stone Age: Exploration and Exploitation of Minerals for Green Technologies.[15]

She is currently chair of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) expert group on resource management and bureau, which has the mission to develop global systems for sustainable management of natural resources.[16]

Awards

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In 2020, Hanghøj was awarded an honorary doctorate from Uppsala University, in recognition of 'her outstanding contribution to geological research ... especially in the field of raw materials'.[17]

In 2023, Hanghøj was awarded the William Smith Medal of the Geological Society of London, in recognition of her contributions to 'applied and economic aspects of geology', and in particular for her work on raw materials and the sustainable green energy transition and as an 'ambassador for the geosciences ... in the UK and across the world'.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Kendalian taught top geologist". The Westmorland Gazette. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Alvin – Hanghøj, Karen". www.alvin-portal.org. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Hanghøj Karen". Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "The Geological Society of London – The Modern Geological Survey". www.geolsoc.org.uk. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  5. ^ Homman, N. P. -O.; Yang, C.; Malmqvist, K. G.; Hanghöj, K. (1 January 1995). "Plagioclase Studies by Ionoluminescence (IL) and Particle-Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE) Employing a Nuclear Microprobe". Scanning Microscopy. 1995 (9). Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  6. ^ Bernstein, Stefan; Kelemen, Peter B; Tegner, Christian; Kurz, Mark D; Blusztajn, Jurek; Brooks, C. Kent (1 August 1998). "Post-breakup basaltic magmatism along the East Greenland Tertiary rifted margin". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 160 (3): 845–862. Bibcode:1998E&PSL.160..845B. doi:10.1016/S0012-821X(98)00132-0 – via ScienceDirect.
  7. ^ "EIT RawMaterials - Developing raw materials into a major strength for Europe". Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Be part of the chain". Nature Materials. 17 (12): 1049. 28 December 2018. Bibcode:2018NatMa..17.1049.. doi:10.1038/s41563-018-0245-8. PMID 30470835. S2CID 53712995. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023 – via www.nature.com.
  9. ^ "Our history". Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  10. ^ Press, B. G. S. (3 July 2019). "Karen Hanghøj named Director of the British Geological Survey". Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  11. ^ "UK sets up centre to advise on critical minerals, amid warnings of supply risks". thechemicalengineer.com. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  12. ^ Hanghøj, Karen; Rosing, Minik T.; Brooks, C. Kent (1 July 1995). "Evolution of the skærgaard magma: evidence from crystallized melt inclusions". Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology. 120 (3): 265–269. Bibcode:1995CoMP..120..265H. doi:10.1007/BF00306507. S2CID 129743837 – via Springer Link.
  13. ^ Hanghoj, K. (1 November 2003). "An Isotope and Trace Element Study of the East Greenland Tertiary Dyke Swarm: Constraints on Temporal and Spatial Evolution during Continental Rifting". Journal of Petrology. 44 (11): 2081–2112. doi:10.1093/petrology/egg071.
  14. ^ Hanghoj, K.; Kelemen, P. B.; Hassler, D.; Godard, M. (1 January 2010). "Composition and Genesis of Depleted Mantle Peridotites from the Wadi Tayin Massif, Oman Ophiolite; Major and Trace Element Geochemistry, and Os Isotope and PGE Systematics". Journal of Petrology. 51 (1–2): 201–227. doi:10.1093/petrology/egp077.
  15. ^ "Contents | Geological Society, London, Special Publications 526, 1".
  16. ^ "EGRM and Bureau | UNECE". unece.org. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Honorary doctorate for new BGS director | Agg-Net". agg-net.com. 4 February 2020.
  18. ^ "The Geological Society of London – Geological Society Awards 2023 Winners". www.geolsoc.org.uk. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
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