SAMS news room

SAMS is grief stricken about the tragic death of Tim Boyd, who was killed by a lightning strike on Sunday afternoon near his home in Appin. We suffer deep pain and confusion to lose such a lively and warm friend and colleague. Our hearts go out in particular to his wife and his two talented daughters he was so very, very proud of. 

Tim joined SAMS in 2007 from Oregon State University. He was a well-respected physical oceanographer with internationally recognised expertise in Arctic oceanography. Thanks to his outgoing personality and easy-going nature he established himself quickly as a key researcher at SAMS. Through hard work and dedication he pioneered the development of the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle technology programme at SAMS, and interpreted the data from these platforms. Tim was also a talented lecturer who will be sorely missed by his students.

Tim Boyd pursued his research work with passion and integrity and was always willing to advise and support colleagues. He truly enjoyed his science and we will all miss our discussions with him. Tim was man of energy and generosity who will be deeply missed by friends and colleagues near and far.

We all feel loss and hurt, and will always remember the contributions he made to oceanography, Arctic science and SAMS.  

Our thoughts are with his family.