Professor Tim Naish, Director of the Antarctic Research Centre, is one of three leading New Zealand scientists to be recognised for research excellence with an esteemed James Cook Research Fellowship in 2016. Two of the three fellowships for 2016 were awarded to Victoria researchers.

Professor Tim Naish, Director of the Antarctic Research Centre, is one of three leading New Zealand scientists to be recognised for research excellence with an esteemed James Cook Research Fellowship in 2016. Two of the three fellowships for 2016 were awarded to Victoria researchers.

Administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand on behalf of the Government, James Cook Research Fellowships are awarded to researchers who demonstrate that they have achieved national and international recognition in their area of scientific research. The fellowships allow researchers to concentrate on their chosen research for two years, and is worth $110,000 annually.

In this project, Tim will work toward reducing the uncertainty of future sea-level rise on two levels. Firstly, he will work closely with international collaborators to drill a geological record on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet that will help researchers to determine how the ice sheet has reacted to temperature changes in the past and hence provide more accurate predictions of future changes. Secondly, he will improve region-specific projections of sea level rise in New Zealand by taking into account local influences and hydro-glacio-isostatic (GIA) modelling – the latter referring to the modelling of changes to Southern Ocean sea levels as a consequences of predicted rise of land masses previously depressed by the huge weight of ice sheets. Ultimately, better predictions of future sea-level rise are critically needed for anticipating and managing the socio-economic impacts of sea-level rise in New Zealand.

Tim is currently carrying out fieldwork in Antarctica and has been notified of his fellowship in his group’s daily communication with Scott Base.

In 2014 Tim was the first New Zealand recipient of the Martha T. Muse Prize for Science and Policy in Antarctica. This leading global award recognises significant and sustained contribution to Antarctic scientific research and policy.

It was recently announced that a group of mountainous peaks in Antarctica has been named after Tim. Naish Peaks was approved by the New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa in September 2016, recognising Tim's highly successful Antarctic scientific career, particularly in the area of paleoclimatology.

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