After six years leading Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis (GEEA), Scott Wood has recently stepped down as Editor-in-Chief. Scott is continuing to act as Editor for papers that were submitted prior to November of last year. In 2024, I accepted the position as Editor-in-Chief and as of November 2024 my role has been to handle all manuscripts submitted to the journal.

It is a great honour to take on this role. I am following in the footsteps of some truly fantastic geochemists and people, namely Scott, Kurt Kyser and Gwendy Hall. Robert Bowell has agreed to act as a Deputy Editor and we are in the process of recruiting an expanded group of Deputy Editors. A larger pool of Deputy Editors will ensure that the journal can maintain transparency and avoid conflicts of interest when members of the Editorial Team and Board, and their co-authors, submit manuscripts for publication in GEEA.

A little information about me. I completed a BSc in Earth Sciences at Waikato University in New Zealand in 1985, after which I pursued an MSc in Geology from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. I completed that degree in 1988, which involved studying the petrology and geochemistry of volcanic rocks from the West Valley segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, off the west coast of Canada. Following Research Associate stints at Acadia University and the Geological Survey of Canada, I began my PhD research at the University of Ottawa in 1993. My PhD research was on the geochemistry of surface waters, groundwaters and stream sediments for use as geochemical exploration tools for volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits.

My career has taken several twists after graduation in 1998, from residing in the USA to New Zealand to Canada. This has included teaching at the University of Texas at Dallas, Senior Scientist for GNS Science in New Zealand, Senior Geochemist at ALS Geochemistry in North Vancouver, Canada, and then professorships at Laurentian University and now at Queen's University, Canada. My research is focused on geochemical exploration following four big themes: (1) developing new geochemical and isotopic methods for mineral exploration; (2) the geochemistry of fluids associated with ore deposits (groundwater, marine water and hydrothermal systems); (3) the petrogenesis of igneous rocks; (4) the timing of the onset of plate tectonics; and (5) developing new analytical methods especially related to solution and laser ablation ICP−MS and low-level trace element determinations. I am co-director of the Queen's Facility for Isotope Research and a faculty member of the Arthur B. McDonald Canadian Astroparticle Physics Research Institute in the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Engineering Physics at Queen's University.

In terms of my publication record, along with students and colleagues, we have generated over 200 refereed papers. Some of this is based on my role supervising students: 19 BSc, 30 MSc and 20 PhD students. I have served as an Associate Editor or been on the Editorial Board for several journals including Chemical Geology, International Geology Review, GEEA and New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics. With the support from GEEA's expanded group of Deputy Editors this track record will stand me in good stead as I take on the role as Editor-in-Chief of GEEA.

Plans for the future of GEEA include a continuation for the most part of the stellar work undertaken by Scott; he has significantly increased the profile and overall impact of the journal. I plan, along with the Deputy Editors and the Editorial Board, to pursue these goals of increasing the impact of the journal as well as soliciting higher impact contributions to the journal. GEEA serves an important niche as the only journal that operates at the interface between exploration geochemistry, the environmental impacts of mining and mineral exploration, and advances in analytical methods that serve mineral exploration and environmental studies. As Scott articulated, one of the goals of the journal is to increase contributions from younger authors to foster the next generation of researchers into geochemical exploration and environmental impacts. In forthcoming years, greater emphasis will be upon soliciting more papers that focus on analytical methodologies. Although there are several journals in chemistry that deal with analytical method advancements, GEEA aims to profile advances that have direct applicability to mineral exploration and environmental research. In particular, advances in isotopic techniques of relevance to our science will be encouraged.

Again, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved in the journal who have made it a success over the last several years. So special thanks to founding Editor-in-Chief Gwendy Hall who served for 15 years, followed by Kurt Kyser, and most recently by Scott Wood. Their foundational efforts are a solid base for our team to build upon. Thanks also to the Editorial Board, numerous Editors and the Association of Applied Geochemists. Special thanks also to the Geological Society and the staff for helping to put together our journal and especially Journal Manager Bethan Littley.