Ryan French, a solar scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), has been awarded the AGU’s 2026 Athelstan Spilhaus Award for “his sustained, multi-platform, research-grounded outreach highlighting both the scientific beauty of the Sun and its direct societal relevance.”
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) presents the Spilhaus Award annually to recognize individuals who have enhanced public engagement with Earth and space science. The award honors those who have devoted part of their careers to conveying the excitement, significance, and beauty of Earth and space science to broad audiences.
“I am honored to receive the 2026 Athelstan Spilhaus Award,” said French. “Scientific research and public engagement have always gone hand in hand throughout my career, and it means a great deal to have that work recognized by the American Geophysical Union. I believe that sharing the excitement and importance of science with the public is an essential part of being a scientist, and I look forward to continuing to bring the wonders of the Sun to new audiences.”
French is a solar physicist, science communicator, and author whose research focuses on understanding the nature of explosive events on the Sun called solar flares. His science communication work strives to share the wonders of the Sun and space, alongside their impacts on Earth and society, to the general public. French earned his doctorate in 2022 from University College London where he worked on reconnection dynamics in solar flares, which he has continued to study at LASP since joining the lab as a research scientist in 2025.
Earlier this year, French was named a 2026 American Astronomical Society (AAS) Shapley Lecturer in recognition of his contributions to public communication of astronomy and astrophysics. In 2024, he won the AAS Solar Physics Division’s Popular Media Award, which recognizes outstanding public communication about the Sun and its effects on Earth.
He is also the author of four non-fiction astronomy books for non-specialist readers, including two published this year, both with co-author Tom Kerss. The first, Little Book of Eclipses, explores the history, mythology, science, and future of eclipses around the world, providing a global guide to upcoming solar and lunar eclipses. The second, Cosmic Light: Lifting the Veil on the Invisible Universe, takes readers on a journey through multiwavelength astronomy, revealing how light beyond the visible spectrum can teach scientists about the universe around us.
The AGU award is named for Athelstan F. Spilhaus Sr., a geophysicist and meteorologist who made innovative contributions to science, education, and public service before his passing in 1998. As both a scientist and cartoonist, Spilhaus helped bring scientific concepts to broad audiences through a science center at the 1961 World’s Fair in Seattle and a long-running science cartoon syndicated in roughly 100 newspapers across the United States.
AGU, the world’s largest Earth and space sciences association, celebrates individuals and teams through its annual Honors and Recognition program for accomplishments in research, education, science communication, and outreach. French and the other 2026 honorees will be recognized at AGU’s annual meeting, which will convene more than 25,000 attendees from over 100 countries in San Francisco, California, and online from Dec. 7-11.
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Founded a decade before NASA, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder (LASP) is revolutionizing human understanding of the cosmos. LASP is deeply committed to inspiring and educating the next generation of space explorers. From the first exploratory rocket measurements of Earth’s upper atmosphere to trailblazing observations of every planet in the solar system, LASP continues to build on its remarkable history with a nearly $1 billion portfolio of new research and engineering programs.
AGU (www.agu.org) is a global community supporting more than half a million professionals and advocates in the Earth and space sciences. Through broad and inclusive partnerships, AGU aims to advance discovery and solution science that accelerate knowledge and create solutions that are ethical, unbiased and respectful of communities and their values. Our programs include serving as a scholarly publisher, convening virtual and in-person events and providing career support. We live our values in everything we do, such as our net zero energy renovated building in Washington, D.C. and our Ethics and Equity Center, which fosters a diverse and inclusive geoscience community to ensure responsible conduct.
LASP press contact: Sara Pratt, +1 (303)-735-6614, media@lasp.colorado.edu (UTC-6)
AGU press contact: Liza Lester, +1 (202) 998-8654, news@agu.org (UTC-4)
