During my academic career, I have tried to be strategic in my career planning, but I still question what I am: a hydrologist? An isotope geochemist? An atmospheric scientist? Despite suffering this identity crisis, I have been very fortunate to work on exciting, multi-facetted, big research questions, from groundwater springs in the Canadian High Arctic to sub-glacial lakes in Antarctica. This may be a reflection of the interdisciplinary world we live in, but I have come to the conclusion that all (or at least most) of my research has to do with one form of water, even saltwater.
And it is water (or ice) that has connected me to my colleagues and other fellow scientists that have supported and shaped my career. I will always be very grateful for their past and continued support.
In this plenary I will take you on a journey through my favourite projects in Tasmania: from the discovery of freshwater stromatolites in the Wilderness World Heritage Area, to sampling bushfire emissions on Mount Wellington and their impact on water quality and ocean productivity, to tracing nutrient inputs into the Derwent estuary using stable isotopes.