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It is a pleasure to announce that Emeritus Scientia Professor Trevor McDougall has been honoured with the  of the European Geosciences Union (EGU), which recognises exceptional scientific achievements by outstanding researchers in the Earth Sciences.  

Selected for his pioneering research which has revolutionised oceanographic practices and the entire field of ocean thermodynamics, this marks the first time the medal has been conferred upon an Australian scientist and just the third occasion in its 42-year history that an oceanographer has received the distinction.

Professor McDougall is an internationally acclaimed expert in oceanography and the leading authority on ocean thermodynamics, whose cutting-edge research discoveries have significantly enhanced our understanding of ocean physics and its crucial role in the global climate system.

Throughout his distinguished career Prof. McDougall has garnered numerous awards and accolades, including the 2023 NSW Premier’s Prize for Scientist of the Year, and the 2022 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science - the top awards for scientific achievement in NSW and Australia, respectively. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2018.

“It is very exciting to see Trevor once again recognised by the scientific community for the excellence of his work in the mathematical modelling of the interactions between our oceans and wider climate systems”, said Head of the UNSW School of Mathematics and Statistics, Professor Andrew Francis.

“His scientific contributions have been outstanding, but just as importantly, he has made a real impact through his role as a mentor and leader in the community that work in these critical areas. Congratulations, Trevor!”

UNSW Dean of Science, Professor Sven Rogge, also congratulated Prof. McDougall on his most recent achievement.

“Trevor’s work has positioned Australia at the forefront of ocean physics and climate research so it’s fitting to see him honoured with the most prestigious award granted by the EGU in the fields of atmospheric, oceanic and hydrological research”, said Prof. Rogge. 

“His dedication to advancing ocean modelling techniques has broadened the world’s understanding of the coupled atmosphere-ocean-ice climate system, while also unveiling new avenues for future research.” 

Prof. McDougall joined the School of Mathematics and Statistics at UNSW Sydney in 2012, which he describes as “an ideal home for this fundamental research in physical oceanography”.

He notes that a key highlight of his time at UNSW has been collaborating with postdoctoral researchers Casimir de Lavergne, Ryan Holmes, and Geoff Stanley on the implications of the bottom-enhanced mixing in the deepest half of the ocean, and on ways to efficiently compute neutral surfaces in the ocean.   

“We’ve shown that the fact that ocean mixing is concentrated towards the sea floor means that water in the ocean interior is always sinking, and all the upward motion is concentrated in very thin boundary layers around the sloping sides of the oceans”, explained Prof. McDougall. “This is a radically different view than the prevailing wisdom of the past 50 years, and it is still resisted in some circles.”

Prof. McDougall's nominators for the 2025 Alfred Wegener Medal included Mr. Paul Ashworth, Director of the UNSW Research Services Office; UNSW Scientia Professor Matthew England of UNSW’s Centre for Marine Science & Innovation and the ARC Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science; and Dr. Bernadette Sloyan, a Senior Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO. All provided glowing recommendations.

Scientia Professor Matthew England praised Prof. McDougall’s leadership role in the discipline, and for “ensuring that the highest standards of research, scholarship and professional practice are established and maintained.”

He emphasised that the scientific advancements by Prof. McDougall are of major importance to both science and human welfare, and that the implications of his work for ocean research cannot be overstated.

“His discoveries have greatly improved ocean models and changed the way oceanographic data are analysed, thereby increasing the accuracy of the science and confidence in models of the coupled atmosphere-ocean-ice climate system”, said Prof. England.

“Professor McDougall is a pioneer in taking theoretically-based ocean concepts, and making them applicable, useable and freely accessible to the entire community”, added Dr Bernadette Sloyan. “His commitment to the development of open and readily useable software code has had a profound impact on the uptake of his scientific contributions and potential future advancement of ocean science.” 

Prof. McDougall is thrilled that his medal has shone a spotlight on physical oceanography research.

“The ocean is the memory in the climate system; how it absorbs and transports heat underlies the El Nino/La Nina cycles as well as how fast the planet warms due to our emissions of greenhouse gases”, he said.

“For example, the ocean has been providing a wonderful climate service to the planet, absorbing 92% of the extra heat that the planet has received due to greenhouse warming. We simply can’t do climate predictions, or even El Nino predictions without knowing how the ocean reacts to being pushed around by us humans.”

The 2025 Alfred Wegener Medal will be officially conferred in Vienna at the annual General Assembly of the EGU in April 2025, where Prof. McDougall will deliver a one-hour plenary talk.   

We wholeheartedly congratulate Professor Trevor McDougall as the 2025 recipient of the EGU Alfred Wegener Medal. 

Media enquiries: s.waters@unsw.edu.au