Elena Sokolova

Elena Sokolova is a Research Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Manitoba, affiliated with the Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources. Her work focuses on mineralogical and crystallographic studies of complex silicate minerals, particularly TS-block minerals and astrophyllite-group minerals.

Academic Background: Sokolova holds a PhD (1980) and D.Sc. (1997) in Mineralogy and Crystallography from Moscow State University. She has dedicated her career to advancing structural mineralogy through crystallographic studies and mineral classification.

Research Interests: Sokolova’s research explores the structural and chemical properties of titanium silicate minerals, including TS-block minerals from alkaline massifs in Russia and Tajikistan. She pioneered the seidozerite supergroup classification and used TEM to study nanoscale intergrowths in these minerals. Her work enables predictions of new mineral structures and has led to the discovery of minerals like kolskyite and shkatulkalite.

Publications: Her 248 refereed papers and involvement in describing 71 new mineral species highlight her contributions to mineralogy and crystallography. Recent work emphasizes structure topology, chemical composition, and mineral classification systems.

Awards/Grants: No specific awards are listed, but her extensive publications and mineral discoveries reflect her scholarly impact. No advisees are documented in the text.

Labs/Teams: While not explicitly detailed, her research aligns with mineralogical and crystallographic teams at the University of Manitoba and international collaborators.