Rate My Professor Sébastien Pilet

Sébastien Pilet is a professor at the Faculty of Geosciences and Environment at the University of Lausanne, where he serves as Senior Lecturer, Adjunct Professor, and Maître d'enseignement et de recherche in the Institute of Earth Sciences. He earned his B.S. from the University of Lausanne in 1995, his M.S. in 1997, and his Ph.D. in 2001 from the same institution. Pilet has held positions including First Assistant at the University of Lausanne and Visiting Associate in Geochemistry at Caltech. His research focuses on geochemistry and petrology, with contributions to understanding mantle processes and volcanism. In 2026, he led a study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research – Solid Earth proposing that Mount Etna formed through a mechanism similar to that generating petit-spot submarine volcanoes. Pilet received the Paul Niggli Medal in 2006. He has authored or co-authored publications including a 2008 paper in Science with M.B. Baker and E.M. Stolper, as well as numerous articles in Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology and other journals, with over 2,300 citations recorded on academic platforms. Pilet has participated in editorial and committee roles within Swiss geoscience societies.

His work at the University of Lausanne includes teaching and research in Earth sciences, contributing to advancements in petrology and volcanic studies. Pilet maintains an active profile in international collaborations on mantle melting and related topics.