Ellen Kooijman
Dutch geoscientist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ellen Kooijman is a Dutch geoscientist specializing in mineralogy, geology, and geochemistry. She holds a master's degree in Earth science from Utrecht University and a doctorate in geochemistry from the University of Münster.[1] She is the Head of the Department of Geosciences at the Swedish Museum of Natural History and Director of the NordSIMS-Vegacenter. Kooijman is also known for designing the LEGO Research Institute set, which featured women in STEM.
Early life
Kooijman was raised in Gouda, the Netherlands.[2] She studied geosciences at university, aiming to "combine physics, mathematics, and chemistry to understand the Earth".[1][3]
Kooijman wrote her dissertation at the Institute for Mineralogy, located at the University of Münster.[4]
Education
Kooijman earned a Master of Science in Earth Science from Utrecht University in the Netherlands.[1] She later obtained a Doctorate in Geochemistry from the University of Münster in Germany, supervised by geochemist Klaus Mezger. Her doctoral research focused on Uranium-lead (U–Pb) dating of zircon and rutile using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS).[3]
Career
After completing her doctorate, she remained at Münster for a year as a postdoctoral researcher before working as an assistant professional researcher at the University of California, Santa Barbara for several years, continuing her work with LA-ICP-MS. In 2013, Kooijman began working at the Swedish Museum of Natural History as a senior researcher. She is currently the Head of the Department of Geosciences and the Director of the NordSIMS-Vegacenter, a merged laboratory funded by the Swedish Research Council.[1][5][6][7] Kooijman has over 130 publications in mineralogy, petrology, and geochemistry.[8]
Under the alias "Alatariel," she created the LEGO Research Institute set, which depicted women in STEM roles as minifigures: astronomer, chemist, and paleontologist.[9][10] Kooijman also collaborated on the LEGO Big Bang Theory set, highlighting scientist characters from the sitcom, and co-designed the Amelia Earhart Tribute set with Brad Meltzer, inspired by the historical aviator.[2][11][12]
Publications
As of September 2024, Kooijman is actively conducting research in the geosciences, with recent co-authored articles including "Origin and Affinities of the Malmberget Iron Oxide-Apatite Deposit, Northern Sweden: Insights From Magnetite Chemistry and Fe-O Isotopes",[13] "Late Cretaceous and Early Paleogene Fluid Circulation and Microbial Activity in Deep Fracture Networks of the Precambrian Basement of Western Greenland",[14] and "A common precursor for global hotspot lavas".[15]
Awards
- 2010 Young Scientist Outstanding Poster Paper (YSOPP) Award[16]