Valentine recognized as postdoc mentor

Greg Valentine, professor of geology and director of the Center for Geohazards in the Department of Geology, is the recipient of the 2015 Distinguished Postdoc Mentor Award from the Graduate School’s Office of Postdoctoral Scholars.

Valentine received the award as part of the annual Postdoc Symposium hosted by the Graduate School last month. Nominees for the annual award are submitted by postdoctoral scholars from UB, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, UB’s Research Institute on Addictions and Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute.

“It is clear that Dr. Valentine imparts a nurturing and welcoming environment for postdoctoral scholars to grow scientifically under his mentorship,” says Luis A. Colón, A. Conger Goodyear Professor of Chemistry, associate dean for graduate and postdoctoral education, and a noted mentor in his own right.

Colón calls Valentine a “dedicated advocate” for postdocs, “enthusiastically providing training and support to his postdocs in preparation for professional career advancement and for managing the transition from dependent to independent work.” Valentine also encourages his postdocs “to pursue new ideas,” Colón says, and offers them opportunities to take part in international, collaborative projects.

Valentine has received numerous prestigious awards, among them the Los Alamos National Laboratory Distinguished Performance Award – Yucca Mountain Project Team and the 2014 James F. Luhr Award given by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior for his outstanding research on monogenetic volcanism.    

His work has appeared in more than 100 publications and he is a member of numerous national and international organizations.