Ice and Fire: The Mystery of Heard Island

The Experts

• More details about Dr Jodi Fox, Volcanologist, Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science

  Dr Jodi Fox, Volcanologist, Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science

  Dr Jodi Fox is a volcanologist whose research explores how volcanoes erupt and evolve in oceanic and icy environments. She has conducted laboratory and field-based studies in Australia and Japan, with a particular focus on the Subantarctic, East Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula. Before becoming a volcanologist, Dr Fox happened upon a 2006 magazine article about Heard Island in her workplace tearoom and was immediately captivated by a photograph of an elephant seal sleeping in a zodiac with Big Ben volcano towering behind it. Ten years and a geology degree later, she found herself aboard the Australian research vessel RV Investigator, investigating the volcanic history of Heard Island and its surrounding seafloor. Her research has revealed a complex history of landscape construction and destruction at Heard Island driven by interactions between volcanism, water, ice and climate. Dr Fox is now part of the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, where she leads research into the influence of volcanism on the stability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and whether volcanic activity may change as Antarctica responds to a warming climate.

• More details about Dr Doug Thost, Glaciologist and Geologist, Australian Antarctic Division

  Dr Doug Thost, Glaciologist and Geologist, Australian Antarctic Division

  Dr Doug Thost has spent more than three decades working at the edge of the map, combining science, expedition leadership, and more recently remote aviation across Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. A geologist by training, he segued into glaciology when he joined the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), and first travelled to Heard Island in October 2000, returning again in December 2003 to study the retreat of Brown Glacier. More than 20 years later, he returned to find an icescape that has changed dramatically—but an island that remains raw, unforgiving, and very capable of reminding you who’s actually in charge. Most recently, Doug was part of the 2025–26 Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) Voyage, where he helped lead an extensive drone program operated from both ship and shore. These flights captured high-resolution imagery and data across the island, revealing everything from wildlife dynamics to glacier change in ways that simply weren’t possible on foot or through traditional survey methods. Today, as Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) Operations & Development Manager with the AAD, Doug is helping to reshape how science is conducted in remote environments—bringing together new technology, practical field experience, and a long-standing connection to places like Heard Island to push the boundaries of what’s possible in some of the most challenging environments on Earth.

• More details about Dr Julie McInnes, Biologist, Australian Antarctic Division

  Dr Julie McInnes, Biologist, Australian Antarctic Division

  Dr Julie McInnes is a biologist, currently with the Australian Antarctic Division, who works predominantly on the ecology of Southern Ocean ecosystems. Her work focuses on applied research leading to conservation and management outcomes for threatened species. She has been heavily involved in the development and implementation of wildlife monitoring programs around Australia, the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic. She is currently one of the leaders of the Heard Island and McDonald Island Seabird and Wildlife Diseases projects, as well as the long-term Macquarie Island Wildlife Monitoring Program.

• More details about Associate Professor Justine Shaw, Conservation scientist, Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future

  Associate Professor Justine Shaw, Conservation scientist, Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future

  Associate Professor Justine Shaw is an internationally recognised leader in Antarctic and conservation science. Her research focuses on the interface of policy, governance and ecosystem science. She has extensive experience (25+ years) in hypothesis-driven research and a proven track record of working on a diverse range of species, ecosystems and governance structures. Her work focuses on delivering novel science for real-world outcomes. Justine works with government, NGOs and international advisory bodies. Justine has led remote field teams in Australia, South Africa, the sub-Antarctic, Antarctica and the Arctic. In the field she has studied plants, invertebrates, seabirds and land birds. She leads several research projects within the ARC Special Research Initiative - Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future, on conservation planning, biosecurity and ecological monitoring. Throughout her career, Justine has been committed to tackling gender inequity in STEMM. She continues to mentor a new generation of Antarctic scientists. Justine has led research on how to change culture and create greater opportunities for minorities in Antarctic science and Australian STEMM community more broadly. Justine was appointed to the Australian Government’s Threatened Species Scientific Committee in 2024. As a founder of Homeward Bound, she works to elevate the impact of women leaders with a STEMM background. She has co-led four all-women voyages to Antarctica. She is a board director for the not-for-profit organisations Landscape Recovery Foundation and Homeward Bound Projects.