What kind of work have you been doing since you graduated?

I’m currently an Emeritus Associate of the Scott Polar Research Institute of Cambridge University, but I’ve had a pretty varied career.

I’ve carried out research on past climate change in both academia and industry. I’ve managed research programmes on climate change for the United Kingdom’s Natural Environment Research Council, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research of the International Council for Science.

I’ve co-edited several books relating to aspects of past or modern climate. You can find out more about my publications on the University of Cambridge’s website. My latest book Earth’s Climate Evolution was published in October 2015.

Describe your student experience at Victoria.

There was a lot of sea time, some of it with the Navy, some done from a chartered coaster, and even some from a very small boat in lagoons in the Cook Islands! It was quite rough working down south of New Zealand around the Campbell and Auckland Islands.

What are some of your favourite memories of Victoria University?

As part of my Master’s, I was the first to discover that there was an offshore deposit of phosphate and manganese on the Campbell Plateau—a large submarine plateau to the south of New Zealand. We already knew that there was phosphate on the Chatham Rise (between Christchurch and the Chatham Islands) but we had no idea that there were such deposits elsewhere. It was a unique discovery. Even more exciting was my discovery that the Alpine Fault was a transform fault – a new kind of fault that was just being recognized by the people inventing the new theory of plate tectonics that explained how the continents were moved about. The mid 60s were a fascinating time in understanding how our planet works.

Where did you typically hang out?

As an extra-mural student I didn’t spend a lot of time on campus. A lot of my association with members of staff was at the pub—The George—on Friday nights which was really good. People networked, interacted and talked with each other so I knew a lot of the students in the Geology department very well. In those days it was six o’clock closing! We did a lot of talking and drinking in a short space of time.

Have you kept any connections with Victoria?

I’ve known Emeritus Professor Peter Barrett [from Victoria’s Antarctic Research Centre] for a long time. We’ve worked together quite closely on Antarctic matters. He wrote the foreword to my latest book. It was a pleasure to visit Peter and the University in January, and to give lectures on climate change and on my research on the Anthropocene.

What are your thoughts of the Kelburn campus now?

The campus is very different, but Wellington is different as well—it’s hard to recognise a lot of the city! I visited Mount Victoria to see the great view. From there, you can see how the University has grown, the line of buildings—from the Hunter Building all the way along the hill. It’s good to see the University growing. And the students I met were doing some really exciting research on climate change.