I got interested in geology as a small kid with a rock collection and managed to turn that interest in the natural world into a career. I have been employed at the University of Sydney for more than 30 years and currently hold the UNESCO Chair in Marine Science. Luckily for me, for the last 10 years I have also been working continuously with GRID-Arendal on a wide variety of really interesting and important projects. I was originally contracted to help set up the UNEP Shelf Programme – the flagship programme that has supported more than 60 developing states in delineating their outer continental shelf. The project has had a major impact on the map of the world.

As I am based in the Pacific, I act as the GRID-Arendal outpost for much of the area south of the equator. I have travelled and worked extensively in South East Asia and the Pacific Islands and have developed a large network of academic, government and institutional partners. The region has some of the most densely populated and vulnerable communities on the planet. We are working with these communities to address problems caused by climate change and dwindling natural resources.

I am currently working on a number of projects related to waste including a review of marine litter in the UN Environment’s GEO6 report and also the Basel Convention Household Waste Guidance, which addresses household waste as a source of marine litter.