Anton R. Chakhmouradian

Anton Chakhmouradian wanted to be a geoscientist from childhood, so the Faculty of Geology at St. Petersburg State University (SPbGU) was a natural choice when he graduated from high school. This also proved to be the right choice because SPbGU had long been a hub for research on carbonatites and alkaline igneous rocks. SPbGU Professors Andrei Bulakh and Mikhail Evdokimov were instrumental in communicating the ?alkaline virus? to Anton and making sure that this petrologically biased affection evolved into a postsecondary degree. After graduating with an MSc and PhD in geology and mineralogy from SPbGU in 1997, Anton moved to Canada to pursue postdoctoral research on perovskites with Roger Mitchell. In 2001, he took a faculty position at the University of Manitoba. Even after having relocated to the Prairies, he continues to find inspiration in alkaline rocks and carbonatites.