Climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger has been named as the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year.
Dr Salinger is recognised as one of the first scientists to address global warming and has dedicated almost 50 years to advancing climate science.
Born in Dunedin in 1947, he completed a Bachelor of Science from the University of Otago in 1971, a Doctor of Philosophy from Victoria University in Wellington in 1981 and a Master of Philosophy in Environmental Law from the University of Auckland in 1999.
Dr Salinger is currently an adjunct research fellow with the School of Geography, Environmental and Earth Sciences at Victoria University.
He is an influential communicator on climate change and has addressed audiences nationwide.
Dr Salinger is a renowned communicator on climate change and his studies investigate climate extremes including drought, and documenting the shrinking ice volume in the New Zealand Southern Alps.
He is a Companion of the Royal Society of New Zealand, an author and has published extensively in academic journals.
He was the lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007, which was collectively awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.
Among his other awards are the NZ Science and Technology Medal in 1994 for ground-breaking research on Southern Hemisphere climate change and the 2018 World Meteorological Organisation Award and the 2019 Jubilee Medal in recognition of his lifetime achievements in climate and agricultural science.
