Director

University of Saskatchewan, Canada, was born in Bitlis, Turkey on March 1, 1942. He received his B.S. degree in Soil Science and Geology at the University of Ankara in 1964 and the Ph.D. degree in pedology in 1968. Most of his Ph.D. work was under the direct supervision of Prof. P. Buringh (State Agricultural University in Wageningen, The Netherlands). After obtaining the Ph.D. degree, he spent three consecutive years (1968-71) in the Netherlands, to widen his knowledge in the area of soil mineralogy, salinity, classification, land use capabilities, and soil management. He was appointed as Associate Professor of Pedology at the University of Ankara in 1974, and professor in 1979. He taught soil survey, soil geomorphology, soil mineralogy, both graduate and undergraduate levels. He has worked extensively on Aridisols, Vertisols, and Alfisols. He initiated the establishment of a national soil museum. In Turkey he guided 6 Ph.D. students.

In 1980 Dr. Mermut was on sabbatical leave in Canada where he worked with the University of Saskatchewan mainly to study fundamental characteristics of Boreal soils. After spending one more year at the University of Ankara he accepted the present position at the University of Saskatchewan.

Dr. Mermut's current major research contributions are in the areas of weathering of soil minerals, soil micropedology and submicroscopy, stable isotope geochemistry, genesis of swelling soils, arid and tropical soils. His research endeavors have added new information on the genesis of Vertisols in general and their occurrence in Boreal regions in particular. The field and laboratory studies lead him to elucidate the origin, mineralogy and fate of salts in the Canadian Prairies. Through a "Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)" project he worked on management of tropical soils in Brazil. He has recognized the need to obtain data on the relation of pore dynamics to management practices and initiated research in computer assisted image analysis.

Dr. Mermut initiated efforts to organize two symposium in Saskatoon (one on advances in micromorphology and submicroscopy in North America in 1986, and the other on cold Vertisols which took place in August, 1989) and two international meetings (one on Red Mediterranean soils the other is on land degradation both in Turkey). He is the Chairman of the International Working Group on Mediterranean soils. Dr. Mermut, his co-workers and students have published more than 100 research papers in reviewed scientific journals. He edited 3 special issues for Geoderma and Catena journals, and four books. At the University of Saskatchewan he has supervised 5 Ph.D. students and 2 M.Sc. Currently, he is supervising four Ph.D. students. He is a member of several national/international societies and committees. He is editor for Canadian Journal of Soil Science and Associate editor for Clays and Clay Minerals.

Dr. Mermut has a great interest working in developing countries. He has worked in Brazil, India, China and Ethiopia through UNDP and FAO. Currently he is the director of a five year AUCC-CIDA supported project in Ethiopia.