I am a coastal geomorphologist and an Emeritus Professor in the School of Science at the University of Wollongong. I am interested in the stratigraphy and development of coasts, particularly their long-term evolution in response to relative sea-level changes. I have investigated coastal change at sites in Australia and New Zealand, as well as on islands in the West Indies, and Indian and Pacific Oceans. I have undertaken research on coral reefs, focusing especially on the vulnerability of reef islands. I have a PhD and ScD from the University of Cambridge. My doctoral research was in the development of mangrove forests on the Cayman Islands, and I have investigated the environmental history of mangrove shorelines in northern Australia. My biogeomorphological research on intertidal tropical wetlands includes the sequestration of blue carbon beneath mangrove forests. I have examined how estuaries evolve, and the consequences of sea-level rise for associated coastal environments. I was a lead author on the coastal chapter in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment report. I have written a comprehensive book on Coasts, form, process and evolution, and co-authored books on The Coast of Australia and Quaternary sea-level changes. I was until recently Chair of the Commission on Coastal Systems (International Geographical Union). I have been Chief Scientist on several oceanographic research cruises that examined Lord Howe Island, Balls Pyramid and Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs in the Tasman Sea.