Conference: 2026 Geologic Hydrogen Gordon Conference: Generation, Stimulation, Migration, Accumulation, Exploration, and Economic-Environmental Considerations of Geologic Hydrogen

About This Grant

This award supports the 2026 Gordon Research Conference on Geologic Hydrogen, an emerging field exploring naturally occurring hydrogen in Earth’s subsurface and ways to enhance its production. Hydrogen is essential for producing commodity chemicals and meeting energy needs. As an alternative to manufacturing hydrogen, which requires energy-intensive processes, pathways to harness the subsurface environment to produce geologic hydrogen are emerging as economically viable and environmentally benign solutions. Early discoveries and rapidly growing industrial interest suggest that geologic hydrogen could become a vast source of affordable energy, but major uncertainties remain regarding the mechanisms underlying its formation, transport behavior and accumulation, and approaches to evaluate economic and environmental impacts. Consequently, the aim of this conference is to address these challenges and accelerate the creation of fundamental scientific insights and innovative technological development pathways for unlocking the potential of geologic hydrogen as a reliable and affordable energy source. This conference convenes leading experts with the intent to advance the field of geologic hydrogen and train the next generation of scientists and engineers. The project will broaden participation by prioritizing students and early-career researchers, strengthening the U.S. workforce, and fostering cross-disciplinary partnerships that can inform research, innovation, and decision making. The 2026 Gordon Research Conference on Geologic Hydrogen will feature discussion-centered sessions across the full geologic hydrogen system. The technical program covers nine sessions including hydrogen as a potential primary energy source; hydrogen geobiochemistry; source rocks; migration and accumulation mechanisms; monitoring methods and detection; exploration; extraction; stimulated geologic hydrogen production, as well as critical considerations of safety, environment, economics, and ecosystem impacts. The conference is designed to synthesize insights from wide-ranging technology roadmap efforts and recent U.S. investments in stimulated geologic hydrogen production, while maintaining the Gordon Research Conference standard of presenting cutting-edge results. Poster and networking sessions will further promote knowledge exchange. A career development session and a mentor-mentee program led by the Association of Geological Hydrogen will foster workforce development and contribute to building a durable geologic hydrogen community. These efforts align with NSF priorities in empowering STEM talent to fully participate in the critical science and engineering needs, benefiting society by translating knowledge into solutions, and expanding and strengthening the speed and scale of emerging research and communities. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.