麻豆传媒团队

After completing my PhD, I started a postdoc at NIWA focused on snow and ice, and then went on to be a Snow & Ice Research Scientist. This included working on snow, hydrology, climate change and avalanches. Highlights from this time include the establishment of the New 麻豆传媒团队Snow and Ice Network (SIN) to measure alpine climate and snow in New Zealand, assessment of climate change impacts on snow and skiing in NZ, avalanche mapping in Fiordland, and providing data to update the New 麻豆传媒团队snow loading building codes. During this time, I also obtained a Fullbright grant to support research in the United States and worked with colleagues in Glacier National Park and with the Forest Service and Montana State University (MSU) in Bozeman, Montana. This funding and associated travel highlighted the opportunities to undertake research on snow in North America.

A year after my Fullbright experience, a snow science professor position at MSU was advertised. Having really enjoyed the experience of working in Montana, my wife and I decided it was worth applying for. I was made director of the Snow and Avalanche Lab and our family and moved to Bozeman at the end of 2010. 聽I was at MSU for 12 years and promoted to full Professor in 2022. Initially, my research focused on understanding snow at a range of spatial and temporal scales, and as a resource and as a hazard. However, my thinking about hazards and the role of human decision making changed when one of my undergraduate students was unfortunately caught and killed in an avalanche. This tragic event changed my research trajectory, as I started to focus my research more on the role of humans and how groups make decisions in complex settings, under uncertainty. My research focus pivoted to focus more on 鈥榟uman factors鈥�, with an understanding that more data does not necessarily lead to better decisions.

I worked as Chief Science Advisor for 2.5 years until I stepped in as Acting Chief Executive in August 2024 and, after a competitive search, the role became permanent six months later. It鈥檚 a real honour to lead an organisation with a world-famous legacy for supporting Antarctic science.

What could a day in your life look like in this role?

No two days are alike. As the CEO of a small but incredibly complex organisation, I find myself involved in a wide range of tasks. Antarctica New 麻豆传媒团队operates the country鈥檚 research station , Scott Base. It鈥檚 like managing a very small town with power generation, water de-salination, water and waste treatment, as well as feeding and housing of 130+ people during peak times, all the while minimising our environmental impacts and supporting world leading science. 聽We also coordinate the movement of people and cargo between the continent and Christchurch, which is one of only five gateway cities to Antarctica. All of this is being done in the coldest, highest, windiest place on Earth. Success relies on our people, and making sure I enable the teams to deliver their best is a real focus.

Antarctica plays a crucial role in understanding climate change. How does Antarctica New 麻豆传媒团队contribute to global climate research?

Antarctica New 麻豆传媒团队is the government agency responsible for carrying out New Zealand's activities in Antarctica, which are supporting world leading science and environmental protection. We work with various research partners (universities / PROs / international collaborators) to support critically important climate change research in Antarctica.聽聽

Changes in the Antarctic environment have implications for the rest of the globe. Antarctic ice melt will be a significant contributor to future sea level rise, increasing risks of coastal erosion and flooding. This is particularly relevant for us in New 麻豆传媒团队as an island nation, but is likely to be even more significant for our low-lying Pacific neighbours. Warming atmospheric and ocean temperatures are changing sea ice formation patterns and increasing the glaciers and ice shelves melt rates. Changing physical environments, particularly temperatures and sea ice cover, threatens the habitats, abundance, and biodiversity of Antarctica鈥檚 unique plants and animals, on land and in the sea.

Are there any projects or initiatives coming up this year that particularly excite you?

Where do I start! There are so many amazing projects underway that I am really excited about. The key focus of our work is the supporting world class research during the Antarctic season, which typically starts in late September and ends in February. This is peak research activity in Antarctica when most field science is undertaken.聽 A summary of our last season of science achievements can be found聽.

The redevelopment of Scott Base is another focus. As Aotearoa New Zealand鈥檚 home on the ice, the station is the strategic hub for scientists from New 麻豆传媒团队and across the globe to carry out some of the most important research in the world. The redevelopment will see the aging infrastructure replaced with a safe, fit-for-purpose and sustainable research facility that will support New Zealand鈥檚 presence in the Ross Sea region of Antarctica for current and future generations.

What memories stand out when looking back on your time spent at UC?

I have many fond memories of my PhD cohort at UC. As part of the Geography Department, I had colleagues working across a broad range of topics such as historical and cultural geography, atmospheric science, gender studies, geographies of health, hazards, applied ecology, and spatial analysis. It was really varied. Despite having different research interests, we shared a strong sense of community which brought out a real strength in the diversity of thought. I am still in contact with several of these people from over two decades ago and it鈥檚 great to follow their career journeys.

I also remember helping to teach several field-based courses and the field trips were always a highlight . At UC, we are lucky to have the Southern Alps on our doorstep, so we could take students to many great locations to look at various environmental processes.

The UC is a lovely campus with many large old trees and during autumn the whole campus is bathed in an autumnal glow!