Lewis Ashwal

Petrology, mineralogy and geochemistry of anorthosite and related rocks; layered mafic intrusions; origin and evolution of planetary crusts; Precambrian geologic history; origin of magmatic ore deposits; role of fluids in igneous and metamorphic processes; meteorites and their parent bodies; abundance and distribution of crustal radioactivity; thermal and petrologic aspects of granulite metamorphism; geology of Madagascar and other Indian Ocean continental fragments, environmental geochemistry, Gondwana assembly and break-up.

Author of: 119 research papers in scientific journals; 2 books,227 conference abstracts (as of February 2017)
Supervisor of 8 Ph,D, and 19 M.Sc. students since 1993

Special Activities:

Project Scientist, Early Crustal Genesis Project, NASA Office of Space Science and Applications (Administered by the Lunar and Planetary Institute), 1982-1990

Adviser, African National Congress, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Department of Economic Planning, 1993

South African Coordinator, France - South Africa Earth Science Co-operation Programme, 1995-1996

Editorial Board, South African Journal of Geology, 1996-1998

Co-editor (with Prof. S. McCourt) of South African Journal of Geology, 1999-

Editorial Board, Journal of African Earth Sciences, 1996-2001

Evaluation Board, Foundation for Research Development, 1996-1997

Committee Member, Earth Sciences Task Group, South African National Antarctic Programme, 1996-2001

Chairman, South African effort to establish a world-class isotope geoscience laboratory (SHRIMP or equivalent instrumentation), 1997-2000

Co-Chairman, Publications Committee, Geological Society of South Africa, 2000-

Post-graduate Coordinator (M.Sc. & Ph.D. students), School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2003-

Disciplinary Committee, School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2003-

Faculty Research Committee, University of the Witwatersrand, 2003-

Executive Committee, School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2004-Current.