Royal Honour as leading researcher awarded Polar Medal

Professor John Woodward has been awarded The Polar Medal in recognition of his outstanding work and contribution to UK scientific knowledge of the polar regions.

The Polar Medal is awarded by His Majesty King Charles III to individuals with exceptional service and achievements in the field of polar research, particularly those who have worked over extended periods of time in harsh climates.

First awarded in 1857 as the Arctic Medal, it was renamed the Polar Medal in 1904. Recipients have included members of Captain Robert F. Scott’s successful first expedition to the Antarctic region, Sir Ernest Shackleton and Sir Edmund Hillary.

A glaciologist and Professor of Geography in Northumbria University’s School of Geography and Natural Sciences, Professor Woodward also serves as the University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for International and leads the Faculty of Science and Environment.

He has studied the glaciers, ice sheets and frozen ground of the polar regions for 30 years, undertaking seven deep field research projects in Antarctica, each lasting up to four months.

Professor Woodward’s research on how the cryosphere of our polar regions responds to climate change began during his Masters studies when he worked on John Evans Glacier, Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic. He completed his PhD at Leeds University, focusing on glaciers on the Arctic island archipelago of Svalbard and has also worked in Greenland, Norway, Finland and Iceland.

In 2002, he joined the British Antarctic Survey as a research associate and continued his research on the Antarctic Ice Sheet after joining Northumbria University in 2003. His work has examined subglacial lakes buried kilometres beneath the surface of the ice sheet in the centre of West Antarctica; the drivers of fast ice stream flow on the Rutford Ice Stream; and ice sheet history and the response to recent climate change in the Horseshoe Valley and Hudson Mountains.

His most recent Antarctic fieldwork involved identifying suitable sites for teams to drill through 200 metres of ice into the bedrock of the Hudson Mountains as part of the £20 million International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration. Thwaites, known in the media as the ‘doomsday glacier’, is roughly the same size as Great Britain and accounts for around four percent of global sea level rise.

Over the last decade John has established Northumbria as a world-leading university for cryospheric research in the polar regions. Northumbria is now home to the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM) and has the world’s largest group of ice-ocean modellers, advancing understanding of how the polar regions and ice sheets are responding to climate change.

Professor Woodward said: “It is humbling and a fantastic honour to be recognised for my lifetime’s academic work in the polar regions.

“I’d like to thank all the scientists I have worked with over the last 30 years and all the field operations staff of the British Antarctic Survey and US Antarctic Programme who have supported the logistics for the deep field programmes I have been involved in. I am also grateful to those in the glaciological community who have supported my career and nominated me for this incredible honour.

“I’ve also had unwavering support from my wife, daughter and son who have supported me during my expeditions, particularly as research in the Antarctic summer involves being away during the festive season.”

Professor Andy Long, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Northumbria University, said: “Understanding the impact of climate change on our ice sheets and polar regions is of critical importance and John has become a renowned leader in this field throughout his career, but particularly since he joined Northumbria University.

“John has driven hugely impactful research and has attracted a team of world-leading scientists to Northumbria to create a real centre of excellence in glaciology research. I know many colleagues will join me in extending their warmest congratulations to him for this outstanding recognition.”

Through the Future of Ice on Earth research group, Northumbria University focuses on research into ice sheets and glaciers on a global scale. Researchers are observing, modelling and predicting future ice loss and understanding the causes of ongoing changes in Antarctica, Greenland and Alpine areas.