Professor Donald E. Canfield is a distinguished geobiologist and leading authority on Earth's biogeochemical evolution, currently serving as Professor of Ecology at the Department of Biology and Head of the Research Unit at the Nordic Center for Earth Evolution at the University of Southern Denmark. He earned his Bachelor's degree in chemistry from Miami University, Ohio, in 1979 and completed his Ph.D. in Geology from Yale University in 1988, where he began unraveling the complex interplay between iron, sulfur, and carbon cycles in marine sediments. Prior to joining the University of Southern Denmark in 1996, he developed his microbiological expertise during a three-year research period at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, establishing the foundation for his interdisciplinary approach to Earth system science. His leadership extends to founding the Nordic Center for Earth Evolution, a center funded for a decade by the Danish National Research Foundation, where he previously served as director before assuming his current role as Head of Research Unit.
Canfield's pioneering research has fundamentally transformed our understanding of Earth's oxygen history and its relationship to biological evolution, with his isotopic studies significantly advancing knowledge of microbial processes in carbon and sulfur cycles and their effects on atmospheric evolution. His groundbreaking work establishing middle Precambrian sulfidic marine conditions and demonstrating late Neoproterozoic marine deep-water oxygenation in concert with early animal evolution represents paradigm-shifting contributions to geobiology. As a world expert on the biogeochemistry of sulfur, he has developed a unique two-pronged methodology combining analysis of modern microbial ecosystems with geological field work to interpret ancient sediments, revealing crucial insights about Earth's surface environmental evolution through time. His prolific scholarly output, comprising over 350 publications with more than 68,000 citations, has cemented his reputation as a central figure in reconstructing ancient oxygen levels and understanding the co-evolution of life and Earth's surface environments.
Professor Canfield's significant influence extends through his distinguished memberships in the US National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, alongside fellowships in the Geochemical Society, American Geophysical Union, and American Academy for the Advancement of Science. His exceptional contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards including the Vladimir Vernadsky Award from the European Union of Geophysicists and the Urey Prize from the European Association of Geochemistry, and he was honored as Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog in 2021. Currently, he leads innovative projects focused on democratizing ocean data through citizen science initiatives, including an ambitious effort to collect 5,000 new sediment samples from all oceans worldwide to enhance our understanding of Earth's biogeochemical cycles. His ongoing research continues to bridge historical Earth system science with contemporary environmental challenges, maintaining his position at the forefront of geobiological research while training the next generation of scientists in this critical interdisciplinary field.
