Dr Tillys Petit to receive EGU Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award

The National Oceanography Centre (NOC)’s Dr Tillys Petit has been named the European Geosciences Union (EGU)’s 2026 Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award in the Ocean Sciences Division.

The awards, which will be presented during the EGU General Assembly in May 2026, celebrate the important work and contributions being made to earth, planetary and space sciences.
Tillys has been recognised for her contribution to research into the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which has played an important role in changing understanding of the formation and variability of the subpolar AMOC.
Her work in recognising the importance of the eastern subpolar gyre as the key location of the dense water formation that sustains the AMOC has been cited more than 100 times since its publication in 2020.
Her ongoing contributions to this research led to her appointment as co-Principal Investigator (PI) of the internationally recognised RAPID AMOC programme.
Tillys said: “I am surprised and delighted by this award. I did not expect this, at all, but I do feel incredibly proud.
“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work on crucial projects alongside so many outstanding scientists, who inspire and challenge me.”
Dr Ben Moat, who heads the open ocean physics team at NOC, added: “Tillys is an outstanding scientist, who demonstrates great leadership in her work and with her colleagues. She actively mentors other early career students and scientists as well as supporting outreach programmes to inspire the next generation of ocean scientists.
“I am delighted to see her ground-breaking contributions to our understanding of the AMOC recognised so prominently.”
Beyond AMOC, Tillys has secured funding for a number of innovative projects that utilise advanced artificial intelligence, ocean technologies, and predictive models to develop an early warning system for tipping points in the North Atlantic.