Awards

• Botanical Society of America: New York Botanical Garden Award
  1996
• Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists: Outstanding Paper Award Journal of Paleontology
  1968
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Group Achievement Award
  1969
• Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists: Outstanding Paper Award, Journal of Paleontology
  1971
• Guggenheim Fellow
  1973, 1989
• Geological Society of America Fellow
  1973
• Member of the American Philosophical Society
  
• The Paleotological Society Charles Schuchert Award
  1974
• UCLA Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Award
  1977
• National Science Foundation Alan T. Waterman Award and Medal
  1977
• NASA Special Recognition Award
  1979
• American Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award and Medal
  1980
• Association of American Publishers Professional and Scholarly Excellence; Scholarly Publishing Award
  1983
• UCLA Academic Senate Faculty Research Lecturer
  1984
• American Philosophical Society Member
  1985
• National Academy of Sciences Mary Clark Thompson Medal
  1986
• American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow
  1988
• John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Guggenheim Fellow
  1989
• International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life, Fellow, Oparin Medal
  1989
• American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellow
  1990
• UCLA Academic Senate Gold Shield Faculty Prize for Academic
  1992
• Association of American Publishers Professional and Scholarly Excellence; Scholarly Publishing Award
  1992
• Russian Academy of Sciences Honorary Foreign Member
  1995
• International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life Fellow
  1996
• Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Senior Humboldt Fellowship
  1997
• NASA, Group Achievement Award
  1997
• Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  1998
• Phi Beta Kappa Society Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science
  1999
• Linnean Society of London, Foreign
  1999
• Fellow of American Academy of Microbiology
  
• American Academy of Achievement, Gold Plate Award
  
• Geobio-Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen: Member of the Scientific Curatorium
  2003
• The Paleontological Society: Fellow
  2004
• Botanical Society of America: Centennial Botanist Award
  2006
• Horiba Jobin Yvon S.A.S.: Raman Imaging Competition Prize
  2006
• University of Pretoria, South Africa Honorary Doctorate
  2011
• Brazilian Center for Astrobiology: Member of International Scientific Steering Committee
  2011
• Paleontological Society: Outstanding Paper Award: Journal of Paleontology
  2011
• Paleontological Society Medal, Geological Society of America
  2012
• National Academy of Sciences, Charles Doolittle Walcott Medal
  2013
• Columbus Ohio North High School Hall of Fame
  2014

Research Areas

• Geobiology

Membership in Academies and Societies

• American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• American Philosophical Society
• Geological Society of America
• Guggenheim Fellowship
• National Academy of Sciences