Simon Cox

Simon is a structural geologist with professional expertise in the fields of geological mapping, tectonics, GIS modelling, fluid-flow and mineralisation, but claims he is a 'non-specialist' geoscientist. The geological mapping of the Southern Alps and southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, are among his most significant contributions. Simon has also run experiments on Southern Alps hot springs and characterised the effects of earthquakes on groundwater. One area of this research has examined the hypothesis that leakage of pressured groundwater from aquifers beneath Christchurch exacerbated liquefaction brought to the surface. Based in the Dunedin office, he is presently leading an international collaboration to build a geological dataset of Antarctica, runs the National Characterisation of Aquifers project, is working on impact of sea level rise on groundwater and landslide runout. Simon is widely recognised as a public speaker and communicator of science, maintains close ties with local iwi/māori, supervises research students, and is a recipient of the McKay Hammer Award from the New Zealand Geoscience Society.