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Dr. Paul Spence
ARC DECRA fellow
Paul grew up listening to frogs near a small pond in central Canada, and didn’t see the ocean until his 13th year. His early love for the ocean was fostered by watching Jacques Cousteau on television. Paul attended the University of Victoria for 16 years as an undergraduate and graduate student in the Physics and Ocean Sciences departments. In 2009, he moved to the warmer waters of Sydney, Australia, where he works as a Senior Lecture at the Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW. The central theme of his research is geophysical fluid dynamics, with a particular focus on the ocean’s role in global climate.
As a teacher, his primary hope is to inspire a sense of scientific wonder in students by facilitating their appreciation for nature’s inherent beauty via physical and mathematical concepts. After being scared away from river kayaking, he started learning to surf at age 33 and remains a dedicated and passionate “kook” who snaps ~1.5 surfboards per year. His favourite animals are cuttlefish. He loves teaching at BMSC because of the opportunity to create lasting memories with inspired people.