About Me
I grew up enjoying the outdoors and spent my childhood exploring the rivers and mountains of South Canterbury, New Zealand. My research travels have fulfilled this passion for exploring diverse landscapes throughout the world.
I have worked in the field of River Science for over 30 years. Over this period, I’ve accumulated many hats – from researcher and educator to collaborator and advisor.
I completed my BSc and MSc at the University of Canterbury, NZ and a PhD from Loughborough University, UK, with Professor Geoff Petts. My Post-Doctoral studies introduced me to the rivers of Murray Darling Basin, Australia. This was undertaken with Professor Keith Walker, in the Zoology Department, University of Adelaide. Since this time, I have held positions at The University of Sydney, the CRC for Freshwater Ecology, Canberra, and currently I am the Chair of Geography and Planning at the University of New England, Australia.
Today, I hold a proven track record of leading published research – both my own, and that of my students and collaborator network.
“I am passionate about nature and the outdoors. I enjoy walking in diverse landscapes and determining what shapes them and how this shapes ecosystems. It is important to me that this knowledge is used not just useful.”
MARTIN THOMS
Career Highlights
Rivers as Social – Ecological Systems are where interactions among people, catchment landscapes and the rivers draining these catchments take form in many complex ways. Our research in Australia and elsewhere explores and unpacks the complexity of these interactions.
Floodplain responses. Floodplains are a significant feature of Australian riverine landscape that contain important natural and agricultural ecosystems. Our floodplain research attempts to unpack interactions between these contrasting ecosystems.
River refugia. For most of the time dryland rivers exist as a series of water holes that are important refugia for many animals. We have been researching the hydrology, geomorphology and ecology of refugia for many years.
Life of the Mississippi. Rivers are truly social – ecological systems and the interactions between the two domains have been a research focus for some time.
Water companions. I love being in, on and around rivers. What better company than one of my retrievers. Meet Jeff!
Natural headwater river systems. I have been researching spatial patterns of ecosystem structures and processes across many headwater river systems. The Kanawha River of Western Virginia is one of the few untouched rivers of the USA. Along with colleagues from the USEPA, we have looking the role of connectivity and food structures in headwater systems.
The Barwon Darling River Australia. The majority of Australian rivers flow through dry landscapes and as a result, they commonly do not confirm to text book models of river structures and functioning. We have been exploring ecosystem processes of dryland rivers for over 20 years.
Rivers of the Kimberly region, NW Australia. Australia has a great diversity of different types of rivers. In the Kimberly region, we get rare multi-channel bedrock rivers. My students and I have characterised the ancient river channels of the Kimberly region.
Life on the Mississippi River USA. The mighty Mississippi is truly one of the world’s great rivers and along with our American colleagues we have been investigating hydrology-geomorphology-ecology interactions in this great system.
The Canterbury Plains of New Zealand, where I grew up, provide a brilliant environment to study the dynamic mosaics of river ecosystems.