The Moire Anne Wadleigh Student Prize in Stable Isotope Science recognizes the student who presents the best paper or poster at the Advances in Stable Isotope Techniques and Applications (ASITA) Conference. The recipient is selected by an independent panel of judges convened by the conference organizers and awarded a $500 cash prize.

This award honors the memory of Professor Moire Anne Wadleigh, a distinguished figure in the Canadian stable isotope community and co-organizer of the 2002 Canadian CF-IRMS Workshop at Memorial University. Professor Wadleigh made significant contributions to stable isotope science during her career, leaving a lasting legacy despite her untimely passing.

Her MSc thesis at the University of Ottawa, focused on strontium isotopes in rivers, remains a foundational reference in the field. Her PhD research at McMaster University, which investigated the isotopic behavior of sulfate in rain and the broader environment, was groundbreaking in understanding atmospheric compound movement. As a postdoctoral researcher, she explored the oxygen-isotope composition of ancient oceans, addressing critical questions in geochemistry. Later, as a Research Associate at the University of Western Ontario, she studied fluid flow in the continental crust, offering new perspectives on geological systems. However, her most impactful work was conducted at Memorial University from 1991 to 2004, where she collaborated extensively with her students and staff to advance the field of stable isotope science.

Professor Wadleigh was particularly intrigued by the atmospheric dynamics of sulfate and nitrate, studying their presence in rain, aerosols, and lichens to trace their origins and environmental effects. At the time of her passing, she was deeply involved in Canadian and international SOLAS (Surface Ocean–Lower Atmosphere Study) projects, which aimed to understand the connections between oceanic greenhouse gas uptake and natural sulfur compound emissions.

Throughout her career, Dr. Wadleigh was a devoted mentor, generously offering her time and guidance to her graduate students while encouraging them to develop their own ideas as emerging scholars. This prize celebrates her scientific achievements and enduring commitment to fostering the next generation of researchers.

Previous Winners

Moire Anne Wadleigh Student Prize in Stable Isotope Science

2005 – Sam Russell, MSc candidate, The University of Western Ontario, for “Airlock laser fluorination triple oxygen isotope analysis of clays and meteorites”. At the 11^th Canadian CF-IRMS Workshop, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, August 14-17, 2005.

2006 – Michelle Chartrand, PhD candidate, University of Toronto, for “Stable Carbon Isotope Analysis of a-Hexachlorocyclohexane: potential for source fingerprinting”. At the 12^th Canadian CF-IRMS Workshop, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada, June 12-14, 2006.

2007 – Tim Jardine, PhD candidate, University of New Brunswick, for “On-line organic hydrogen isotope analysis: anchors, exchangeability and equilibration”. At the 13^th Canadian CF-IRMS Workshop, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, June 24-27, 2007.

2008 – Sam Russell, PhD candidate, The University of Western Ontario, for “Online δ¹⁵N, δ¹⁸O and δ¹⁷O measurements of dissolved nitrate by chemical reduction and catalytic decomposition.” At the 14^th Canadian CF-IRMS Workshop, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, June 15-18, 2008.

2009 – Ying Zhang, PhD candidate, Cornell University, for “Uniform isotopic standards for gas chromatography combustion isotope ratio mass spectrometry of steroids.” At the 15^th Canadian CF-IRMS Workshop, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA, June 28-July 01, 2009.

2010 – Not Awarded

2011 – Courtney V. Holden, BSc (Honors) candidate, Queen’s University, for “Isotopic analysis of fish otoliths: Insights into the thermal history and stock origin of the American eel (Anguilla rostrata).” At the 17^th ASITA Conference, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, June 12-15, 2011.

2012 – Not Awarded

2013 – Anthony J. Menicucci, PhD candidate, University of California Davis, for “Microfluorination: a new approach for analyzing quartz and biogenic silica δ¹⁸O via continuous flow mass spectrometry.” At the 19^th ASITA Conference, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 02-05, 2013.

2014 – Bobby Walsh, PhD candidate, University of California, Davis, Graduate Group in Ecology, for the oral presentation Rapid, compound-specific δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N analysis of amino acids with chloroformates and the poster “Data from over 100 isotopic studies of amino acid carbon and nitrogen: Emerging patterns and trends”. At the 20^th ASITA Conference, University of California, Davis, USA, June 15-18, 2014.

2015 – Chris Spencer, PhD candidate, School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, for the oral presentation Development and Final-Stage Testing of McMaster’s CO₂ Clumped Isotope Facility. At the 21^st ASITA Conference, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, June 27-30, 2015.

2016 – Andrew Barber, PhD candidate, Concordia University, for the poster presentation “Measuring the δ¹³C of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Canada’s Eastern Coastal Waters“. At the 22^nd ASITA Conference, The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, June 19-21, 2016.

2017 – Anic Imfeld, PhD candidate, Concordia University, for the poster presentation “Environmental Forensics: Using Compound-specific Stable Carbon Isotope Analysis to Track Petroleum Contamination“. At the 23^rd ASITA Conference, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, June 24-27, 2017.

2018 – John Mering, PhD candidate, University of Waikato, for the oral presentation Applying laser spectroscopy to measure isotopic alteration in carbonates and phyllosilicates: new tools for exploring hydrothermal systems. At the 24^th ASITA Conference, Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute, Washington, DC, USA, June 04-06, 2018.

2019 – Frédéric Séguin, MSc candidate, Concordia University / IRNS, for the poster presentation “Implications of isotope correction to account for derivatization of small non-volatile molecules“. At the 25^th ASITA conference, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, June 09-12, 2019.

2020 – No conference due to global COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 – No conference due to global COVID-19 pandemic.

2022 – Shared

– Yeganeh Mirzaei, MSc candidate, Concordia University, for the oral presentation Application of Stable Isotope Ratios in Kinetic Study of Bacterial Preference in Degradation of Organic Matter in the Largest Semi-enclosed Estuary of the World. At the 26^th ASITA conference, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), GEOTOP, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, June 12-15, 2022.

– Shamsunnahar Suchana, PhD candidate, University of Toronto, for the poster presentation “CSIA of substituted chlorobenzenes at sub-μg/L using passive sampler“. At the 26^th ASITA conference, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), GEOTOP, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, June 12-15, 2022.

2023 – Susanna Smith, PhD candidate, Bristol University, for the oral presentation A compound-specific stable isotope approach to explore the routing of hydrogen from drinking water to tissues in ruminant animals. At the 27th ASITA conference, University of Ottawa, Ján Veizer Stable Isotope Laboratory, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, June 11-14, 2023.

2024 – Milad Ezzati, PhD Candidate, Concordia University, for the poster presentation “A Systematic Reassessment of the Method Used to Quantify Organic Matter Associated with Iron Oxides in Marine Sediments . At the 28th ASITA conference, Dalhousie University, CERC.OCEAN laboratory, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, June 16-19, 2024.

2025 – Allyson Girard, PhD Student, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, for the oral presentation “Investigating Nitrate Sources and Export in an Alpine Catchment Using Orbitrap-Based Stable Isotope Techniques.” Presented at the 29th ASITA conference, held at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, Texas, May 18–21, 2025. Co-authors: J. David Felix, Justin Elliott, Hussain Abdulla.