Tim Haskell

Tim Haskell

Dr Haskell was awarded the Royal Society of New Zealand’s Hector Medal for physical sciences in 2007 for his outstanding contributions as a leader of, and advocate for, several novel New Zealand research programmes, particularly the New Zealand Antarctic Research Programme.

He also received the Antarctic Medal in the 2008 New Year’s Honours for his contribution to Antarctic science.

Dr Haskell’s association with Antarctic research has spanned 30 years and during that time he has worked with researchers from a range of research organisations from New Zealand and overseas.

He first went to Antarctica in 1978, when it was decided by the Ross Dependency Research Committee that more of the physical sciences should be included in the New Zealand Antarctic research programme.

Along with then-colleague  Bill Robinson, his interest was in the engineering aspects of roads and runways on sea ice. In the 1990s his interest turned towards the interaction of the sea ice with the Southern Ocean, especially how sea ice grew and was then broken up by ocean waves. In recent years the programme has broadened to include NIWA^[?] oceanographers as well as the Universities of Otago and Victoria and is now targeted at determining the relationship between sea ice and climate. 

Until recently Dr Haskell was chief advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Antarctic environmental matters, including measures to protect Antarctic and Southern Ocean bird and other life from the impact of fishing in the region, the evaluation of the impacts of New Zealand's research programme on Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, and the permitting and evaluation of tourist operations, either departing from New Zealand or involving New Zealand personnel.

In 2009 a significant Antarctic strait lying under the permanent McMurdo Ice Shelf was named after Dr Haskell.