Qualifications

Richard has a Master of Science Degree in Geology from the University of Canterbury, with his thesis looking at the volcaniclastic rocks of the Orton-Bradley formation in Banks Peninsula. He also gained Bachelor of Science with Honours in Geology from Victoria University of Wellington, with an undergraduate minor in chemistry and geochemistry.

About

As a geologist Richard is interested in volcanoes and has visited a number of active volcanoes. He also accumulated over seven years' experience in mining in Queensland and New South Wales where he worked on a range of coal and coal seam gas projects on mine sites and green field locations, overseeing drilling operations, recording data, taking and processing samples, and ensuring the acquisition of quality geological data in a safe and timely manner. In his last role in the mining industry, Richard was supervising a team of contract geologists at Oaky Creek Coal, near Tieri in Queensland, a role that was both interesting and challenging due to the variety of work and the demands of working in an active underground mine site. Previously Richard spent over a decade working in the IT field as a technician, pursuing his other interest in computers and technology. Richard is technically proficient and enjoys learning new systems and solving problems. He is currently learning to manipulate and display data using R, examining what ChatGPT and other AI has to offer, and previously explored C++ and Python. Single board computers such as the various iterations of Raspberry Pi have also been an exciting development that have sparked his interest, providing a low-cost platform for a range of electronic projects. Richard is knowledgeable about web design and has been running his own blog site for over 20 years, combining his passion for kayaking, photography, writing, and technology. A keen whitewater kayaker, Richard has a great love for nature and water in particular so working in ESR's Groundwater Team has been a good opportunity to move into a more environmentally-focused field. Working for ESR has also allowed him to put his many skills to work in both in the field and in the laboratory, helping design, build and run experiments to expand our knowledge of water in the environment. Photography is important to Richard. Whether it is capturing the wonder of the natural world (and cats), documenting our science in action, or filming tiny stygofauna 4m below ground level in a borehole, Richard is seldom far from a camera. Images enable us to communicate and showcase the science we are undertaking and recognise those doing the work in an easily accessible manner. Some of his photographic works have been featured in presentations, journals, reports and other significant documents, and seeing a photo he took on the cover of the Water New Zealand journal was one of Richard's proudest moments. Health, safety and wellbeing has been a focus of much of Richard’s career, and he is actively involved at ESR as a HSW representative, first aider, and fire warden. He has also produced a number of HSW related guides and risk management documents.

Publications