October 22, 2025
The New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources (NMBGMR) at New Mexico Tech will present the 2025 Earth Science Achievement Award for Research and Education to University of New Mexico Emeritus Professor Dr. Les McFadden. An influential geoscientist and dedicated teacher, McFadden will receive the award on Sept. 18 at the New Mexico Geological Society’s annual Fall Field Conference.
During a career spanning almost four decades—all spent in New Mexico—McFadden’s research has increased our understanding of the soils, climates (past, present, and future), human histories, land management policies, hydrology, and landscape evolution of the state. Just as significant are his teaching and mentorship of students at the University of New Mexico (UNM), which have left an impact on generations of geoscientists in New Mexico and beyond.
“Les is a passionate advocate for the advancement of science and education, a respected scholar in many fields of Earth science, a dedicated mentor, and a skilled, effective, and impactful teacher,” said Dr. Kevin M. Hobbs, NMBGMR field geologist and one of McFadden’s former graduate students. “We are very pleased to honor him with this award in recognition of his many years of scholarship and education.”
“After learning that I was the recipient of the Earth Science Achievement Award, I was pleasantly surprised and, of course, deeply honored,” said McFadden. “I would like to thank those individuals who nominated me and contributed letters of support. Additionally, I feel that this award serves as a tribute to many other Earth scientists in New Mexico whose research is also focused on the current and probable future impacts of human-induced climate change on both our landscapes and peoples. This body of research provides informed insight into the appropriate responses and solutions we should be taking to mitigate the worst outcomes.”
In addition to his commitment to science and education, his work has helped shape important Earth science policy in New Mexico. He co-authored two chapters in NMBGMR’s report titled Climate Change in New Mexico Over the Next 50 Years: Impacts on Water Resources. The report was commissioned by the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, and it forms the basis of the state’s 50-Year Water Action Plan.
Much of McFadden’s research has focused on the geomorphology of desert lands—the study of the origin and evolution of landscape features and the processes that shape them. In 2000, McFadden and co-recipient Dr. Stephen G. Wells (past president of New Mexico Tech) were awarded the Farouk El-Baz Award for Desert Research from the Geological Society of America (GSA). The award recognized both their individual work and the collaboration between McFadden and Wells, as well as their collaborations with ecologists, geochemists, and geochronologists, that substantially reshaped the field of geomorphology in arid and semiarid lands.
In 2017, McFadden received the GSA’s Kirk Bryan Award, which is given to authors of a paper that significantly advances the science of geomorphology. His paper on soil formation in vegetated arid lands was cited by the award committee as providing “a foundation of soil-development knowledge that should be read by anyone working on soil geomorphology and related problems in arid lands.” With over 90 papers published in peer-reviewed journals, garnering more than 5,000 citations, McFadden’s research has had a clear and lasting influence.
But it’s his teaching and mentoring of UNM geoscience students that may be the biggest impact of McFadden’s distinguished career. Soon after arriving at UNM in 1981, he helped establish the Quaternary Studies Laboratory and built one of the most successful graduate programs in the Department of Geology (now the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences). In addition to teaching thousands of students in his courses, McFadden has served on the advising committees of dozens of graduate students. At least 17 of his advisees have gone on to become professors themselves, eight of whom have taught in New Mexico’s public colleges and universities. McFadden was also the lead or co-lead on several National Science Foundation- and NASA-funded grants aimed solely at increasing student access and success in science research.
“I have seen firsthand the impact Les’s teaching has had on generations of UNM undergraduate and graduate students,” said Dr. Peter J. Fawcett, professor and former chair of UNM’s Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences. “They are carrying the ideas initially generated by Les farther than he could have imagined.”
“One of his greatest legacies is the number of doctoral students that he advised or co-advised, who now hold leading positions in Earth sciences and geology departments at colleges and universities across the country,” said Dr. Joseph R. McAuliffe, emeritus director of the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. “The tremendous impact of his mentoring of graduate students cannot be overemphasized.”