Emeritus Professor
Citation delivered by Professor Heath Ecroyd at the University of Wollongong on the occasion of the admission of Colin David Woodroffe as an Emeritus Professor on 17 July 2025
Chancellor, I present to you Professor Colin Woodroffe.
Outstanding scholarship is not measured solely by discoveries made, but by the knowledge it shares, the minds it inspires, and the foundation it lays for future understanding. Over more than four decades, Professor Colin Woodroffe has made landmark contributions that have transformed our understanding of coastal environments and sea-level change.
An inspirational tutorial at Cambridge set Colin on a path that would take him far from his native England to study tropical coasts around the world. After early positions at Sheffield and Auckland, he was drawn to the unique history of Australia’s coastal environments, spending five years at ANU’s North Australia Research Unit in Darwin studying the environmental history of tidal rivers in the Kakadu region. In 1988, he joined the University of Wollongong, where he would build his distinguished career exploring the dynamic relationships between land and sea from the Cayman Islands to coral atolls across the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Professor Woodroffe’s early work studying the geomorphology of mangrove and coral reef shorelines provided insights that remain central to coastal science. When a near-fatal accident in 1994 curtailed his fieldwork, he demonstrated remarkable resilience, re-skilling in geospatial analysis and continuing to advance his field.
Professor Woodroffe’s achievements include nearly 300 publications including four books. His seminal textbook Coasts: Form, Process and Evolution has shaped teaching and research worldwide. Through innovative methods, such as reconstructing sea-level histories using coral microatolls, he has established a critical understanding of how coastal systems respond to environmental change.
Professor Woodroffe’s expertise gained international recognition when he was invited to serve as lead author for the coastal chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fourth Assessment Report, contributing to work that earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. The breadth of his impact is reflected in prestigious awards including the 2023 David Linton Award from the British Society for Geomorphology and the 2012 R.J. Russell Award from the Association of American Geographers.
Equally significant is his dedication to mentoring the next generation of scientists. As Director of the Quaternary Environments Research Centre and supervisor of more than 25 PhD candidates, he has supported and inspired students who now hold academic positions around the world. Through his teaching in coastal environments and geographical information systems, Colin has shaped how generations of students understand the dynamic interface between land and sea.
Professor Colin Woodroffe's career embodies the University's commitment to research excellence, international collaboration, and the development of future scholars. His legacy in coastal science will continue to inform how we understand and manage our changing coastlines for generations to come.
Chancellor, it is my privilege to present Professor Colin Woodroffe for admission as an Emeritus Professor.