Past Presidents

The Past Presidents of the Challenger Society for Marine Science

2020-2022 Ros Rickaby, University of Oxford
2018-2020 Rob Upstill-Goddard, University of Newcastle
2016-2018 Rachel Mills, University of Southampton
2014-2016 Tim Jickells, University of East Anglia
2012-2014 Hilary Kennedy, Bangor University
2010-2012 Harry Bryden, National Oceanographic Centre, Southampton
2008-2010 Carol Robinson, University of East Anglia website
2006-2008 Peter Liss, University of East Anglia website
2005-2006 Duncan Purdie, National Oceanographic Centre, Southampton website
2004-2005 Chris German, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute website
2002-2004 Richard Burt, Chelsea Instruments Ltd
2000-2002 John Shepherd, National Oceanographic Centre, Southampton website
1998-2000 Harry Elderfield, Cambridge University website
1996-1998 Mike Whitfield, Marine Biological Association of the UK 
1994-1996 John Simpson, Bangor University website, at the time it was University of Wales, Bangor  
1992-1994 Brian McCartney, Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory
1990-1992 Ray Beverton, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
1988-1990 Anthony Laughton, Institute of Oceanographic Sciences, Wormley

Latest News

Challenger Society History of Oceanography SIG Webinars

The Challenger Society Special Interest Group on the History of Oceanography will be having a series of zoom webinars in 2025. The talks will be at 5pm UK time on Wednesday evenings (3rd Wed of the month):

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Job vacancy

The Ocean Census is actively seeking a Workshop Coordinator to join our dynamic team to manage the workshop and related processes with an international alliance of partners. The deadline for applications is 15th December 2024. Link to further details: https://oceancensus.org/job-opportunity-workshop-coordinator/

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Socio-oceanography Workshop sets sights on key climate and ocean challenges

The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is calling on scientists and researchers to participate in its fourth annual Socio-Oceanography Workshop, hosted in collaboration with the Marine Social Science Network.

This international event, set to take place at NOC’s Southampton site 26-28 February 2025, will gather experts across natural and social sciences to tackle the pressing issues linking people and the changing ocean.
This year’s workshop will focus on four key themes, including the impact of climate change-driven shifts in marine species distribution and how these changes will affect the way the UK marine environment is perceived, valued, and managed.

Other topics include integrating digital humans into environmental digital twins, addressing biases in research related to marine carbon dioxide removal, and exploring how local communities can engage in participatory environmental monitoring.

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