Kliti Grice , is a chemist and geochemist known for her work in identifying geological and environmental causes for mass extinction events. Her research integrates geological information with data on molecular fossils and their stable carbon, hydrogen and sulfur isotopic compositions to reconstruct details of microbial, fungal and floral inhabitants of modern and ancient aquatic environments and biodiversity hot spots. This information expands our understanding of both the Earth's history and its current physical state, with implications ranging from energy and mineral resource exploration strategies to environmental sustainability encompassing climate dynamics and expected rates, durations and scale of our future planet's health. As one of the youngest women professors in Earth Sciences, she is the founding director of the Western Australian Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC) and is a Professor of Organic and Isotope Geochemistry at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia. Early life and education Kliti Grice obtained her PhD in 1995 at the University of Bristol (UK). Grice's PhD research measured and interpreted the stable carbon isotopic compositions of maleimides (small, polar, nitrogen-containing molecules) in sedimentary organic matter from the Permian Kupferschiefer (highly anoxic Zechstein Sea, NW Germany). These compounds are unique to the chlorophylls of photosynthetic algae and bacteriochlorophylls of anoxygenic photosynthetic green sulfur bacteria (Chlorobi) – a discovery that has underpinned some of her latter breakthroughs. From November 1995 to February 1998, Kliti undertook a post-doctoral fellowship (100% research) at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research under the guidance of Jaap Sinninghe Damsté (Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences; and Spinoza Prize winner - The Netherlands' highest science research award). During her postgraduate research, Kliti was mentored by Professor James R Maxwell (FRS; former co-editor-in-chief of Organic Geochemistry) and the late Prof. Geoffrey Eglinton (FRS; recipient of the Royal medal, Dan David Prize and NASA gold medal). Other important career mentors include: Roger Summons (MIT, USA; formerly Chief Researcher at Geoscience Australia), FRS, FAA, Fellow American Geophysical Union; the late Prof. John de Laeter (legacy includes John de Laeter Centre-JDLC at CU); and Roland de Marco (Deputy VC Research at University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; formerly Head of Department of Chemistry and Dean of Research at CU). Career and impact Grice is renowned for addressing critical palaeobiological questions using innovative analytical approaches. Her investigations into ancient environments and their contemporary analogues have led to improved understanding of Phanerozoic ecosystems,