Chris Turney

Christian S. M. Turney FRSA FGS is an English-born earth and climate scientist. As of 2025^[update] he is deputy principal research and impact at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. His previous roles include pro vice-chancellor for research at the University of Technology Sydney and professor of climate change and earth science and director of the Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre and the Chronos ¹⁴Carbon-Cycle Facility at the University of New South Wales.

Christian Turney FRSA FGS FRMetS FRGS FHEA
In Svalbard May 2018
Alma mater	University of East Anglia Royal Holloway, University of London
Awards	Frederick White Prize (2014) Australian Laureate Fellowship (2010) Bigsby Medal (2009) Philip Leverhulme Prize (2008)
Scientific career
Fields	Sustainable Development Goals Clean technology Climatology Earth science
Institutions	Heriot-Watt University University of Technology Sydney University of New South Wales University of Exeter
Thesis	Isotope stratigraphy and tephrochronology of the last glacial-interglacial transition (14-9 KA BP) in the British isles. (1998)
Doctoral advisor	J.J. Lowe and D.D. Harkness
Website	new.express.adobe.com/webpage/wcF56p73fPSjV

Early life and education

Christian S. M. Turney^{[citation needed]} was educated at St Bede's School in Redhill, Surrey, England.^{[citation needed]}

He graduated from the University of East Anglia with a BSc in environmental science,^[1] and completed his PhD at Royal Holloway, University of London.^[1]

Career

Turney was professor of physical geography at the University of Exeter.^{[when?][citation needed]}

In 2013−2014, Turney led the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, a privately-funded expedition to the Antarctic in the "Spirit of [Douglas] Mawson", to investigate environmental changes across the region and communicate the value of scientific research. Scientific findings include the recognition of a 1965 Carbon-14 peak preserved in "the Loneliest Tree in the World" and shrubs growing on Campbell Island, New Zealand, that offer a possible marker for the proposed Anthropocene Epoch in the geological timescale.^[2] On the return home Turney's ice-strengthened vessel became trapped by a substantial breakout of sea ice. After two other vessels were unable to reach the stricken ship, the expedition members were eventually airlifted by helicopter to the Chinese polar research vessel Xue Long, while the Russian crew members had to stay on board the ship.^[3] Environmental writer Andrew Revkin criticised the scientists on board Akademik Shokalskiy;^[4] however, Professor Michael Robinson of University of Hartford noted that the expedition aimed to use Mawson's observations as a baseline for their own scientific findings "that [would] illuminate Antarctica's future, not its past. As such, the voyage [would] prove to be well worth the time and effort".^[5] Turney's book on the expedition's discoveries and the team's experiences trapped by sea ice was published under two titles: Iced In: Ten Days Trapped on the Edge of Antarctica^[6] in Australia and New Zealand, and also as Shackled, by Penguin.^[7]

Turney was a professor at the University of New South Wales in 2013.^[8] He was later professor of climate change and earth science and director of the Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre and the Chronos ¹⁴Carbon-Cycle Facility at the University of New South Wales.^[1]

In November 2021, University of Technology Sydney announced that Turney was joining their university in January 2022 as their new pro-vice-chancellor for research.^[9]

On 23 April 2025, Turney was announced as deputy principal research and impact at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. In the role, he leads the development and growth of Heriot-Watt's Global Research Institutes and continue the advancement of the Research Futures Hub.^[10]

Other activities and roles

Turney was a founding director and later scientific advisor to New Zealand cleantech company CarbonScape, which has developed patented technology to produce and engineer carbon-negative graphite from sustainably-sourced biomass to be used in lithium-ion batteries.^[11]

As of April 2021^[update] Turney was a non-executive director to Cicada, an Australian incubator for startups and scaleups working on deeptech innovations.^[12] He was also a non-executive director to the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority.^{[when?][citation needed]}

Publications

Turney has published hundreds of research papers,^[13] in addition to at least one textbook and four books,^[14][15][6] attracting more than 40,000 citations as of March 2023^[update].^[11]

He has an h-index of 69 on Google Scholar (60 on Scopus).^{[when?][citation needed]} This output put Turney on the 2018 Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher list, representing the 1% most cited scientists in the world.^{[citation needed]}

Recognition and awards

• 2004: J. G. Russell Award, Australian Academy of Science^{[citation needed]}
• 2007: Inaugural Sir Nicholas Shackleton Medal, International Union for Quaternary Research^{[citation needed]}
• 2008: Philip Leverhulme Prize^{[citation needed]}
• 2009: Bigsby Medal, Geological Society of London^{[citation needed]}
• 2010: Australian Laureate Fellowship, to investigate tipping points in the Earth system^[16]
• 2014: Frederick White Prize, Australian Academy of Science, for contributions to understanding natural phenomena that impact human lives^[17]