David Hopley is Professor Emeritus in the School of Earth and Environmental Science at James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, where he has worked since 1965. He has an M.A. from the University of Manchester and PhD. from James Cook University. His initial research into Holocene sea levels and tropical landforms quickly focused on the evolution of coral reefs, reflecting the importance of the Great Barrier Reef to his home institution. Experience with coral reefs extends to many parts of the world including Australia, Barbados, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Papua New Guinea, Rodrigues and Thailand. He has authored and edited almost 200 scientific publications. Amongst numerous awards have been the J.P. Thomson silver medal from the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia (1984) and Life Membership of PACON International (1992), and the J.P. Thomson Silver Medal by the Duke of Kent on 15 April 2014 for his 50 years of science research to Higher Education.