MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

BAS Professor Lloyd Peck awarded the 2024 SCAR Medal for Excellence in Antarctic Research

The SCAR award points out that Professor Lloyd Peck FRS has an exceptional breadth of Antarctic-based scientific output with 350+ science papers

Professor Lloyd Peck FRS, Science Leader and marine biologist at British Antarctic Survey, has been announced as the 2024 recipient of the SCAR Medal for Excellence in Antarctic Research. The medals, awarded by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), recognize exceptional service to the international Antarctic community and contributions to Antarctic and Southern Ocean research.

The citation from SCAR about the award reads: Professor Lloyd Peck FRS has an exceptional breadth of Antarctic-based scientific output. From his 350+ science papers this includes: Nature papers on polar gigantism and atomic bomb signals in Antarctic brachiopods; the first evaluation of the effects of catastrophic iceberg scour in Antarctica; a major body of work on the sensitivity of Antarctic marine species to warming; development of heated settlement panel technology and many insightful reviews into Antarctic marine biodiversity.

Professor Peck has a strong record of mentoring the next generation of scientists, having supervised 50+ PhD students. A strong advocate for women in Antarctica, he supported the first female scientist to overwinter in a UK Antarctic station and is an exceptional communicator, chosen as the Royal Institution Christmas lecturer (2004) with 15 televised lectures given in Japan, Korea and Brazil.

Professor Peck was awarded the Polar Medal for outstanding achievements in polar research in 2009, the Plymouth Marine Science Silver Medal (2015), and this year was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Within SCAR, Professor Peck has provided input for the BIOMASS, EVOLANTA and EBA Groups and was on the main writing group of the SCAR Horizon Scan (2014)
Professor Lloyd Peck is awarded the 2024 SCAR Medal alongside Dr Aleks Terauds of the Australian Antarctic Division for International Scientific Coordination, and Prof Jan Strugnell of James Cook University for Education and Communication.