Philippe Van Cappellen, Ph. D., an internationally renowned environmental geochemist, has joined the Georgia Institute of Technology as a Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) Eminent Scholar.

Dr. Van Cappellen is the Georgia Power GRA Eminent Scholar in Global Climate Studies in Georgia Tech's School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. In this position, he is investigating the connection between human activity, including power generation, and global environmental change. In particular, Van Cappellen is studying how the key nutrient elements nitrogen, phosphorus, silicon and iron, affect the global carbon cycle on the continents, in coastal areas and in the oceans.

"Energy is and will continue to be a central research topic in our nation and the world," said GRA president and CEO C. Michael Cassidy. "Dr. Van Cappellen will greatly contribute to an already outstanding team of energy and climate investigators at Georgia Tech and help make our state a leader in these matters."

"We are thrilled to have Dr. Van Cappellen at Georgia Tech," said Dr. Paul Houston, Dean, College of Sciences. "He was an assistant professor and an associate professor at Tech between 1991 and 1999, so we welcome him back to Atlanta. I am confident that he will be highly successful as the Georgia Power GRA Eminent Scholar in Global Climate Studies."

Prior to his appointment, Van Cappellen served as the chair of geochemistry at Utrecht University in The Netherlands for nine years. While there, he earned numerous accolades, including the Pioneer Award from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research and the Andr' Dumont Medal from the Belgian Geological Society. He was also the founding director of Utrecht University"s Center for Soil, Water and Coastal Resources. Additionally, Van Cappellen served as associate editor for the American Journal of Science from 1999 to 2003, as co-editor-in-chief for the Journal of Hydrology from 1996 to 2004 and is currently associate editor of Geomicrobiology Journal.

"I am excited to return to Georgia Tech as the Georgia Power GRA Eminent Scholar in Global Climate Studies," said Van Cappellen. "A better understanding of what affects the global climate is essential for effective environmental stewardship and energy policy."

Van Cappellen received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Geology and Mineralogy from the Free University of Brussels in Belgium, and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Geochemistry from Yale University.