SAMS news room

A ‘This is your life’ event took centre stage during a two-day programme marking the career of SAMS scientists Prof Mike Burrows.

From rocky shore surveys to climate change impacts, Prof. Burrows’ career was one of a strong research grounding, lasting collaborations and high impact research papers.

Around 70 colleagues and students, past and present, gathered at SAMS for the event last week, which was hosted by SAMS Director Prof. Nick Owens and comes in the year Prof. Burrows announced his retirement, ending a 35-year spell at SAMS.

The marine ecologist has become a prolific publisher, consistently showing up in the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers List.

Those included on the list have authored multiple research papers which rank in the top 0.1% by citations for their field and publication year in the Web of Science over the past decade. Of the world’s population of scientists and social scientists, Highly Cited Researchers are 1 in 1,000.

Prof Burrows has been part of a collaboration that defined ‘marine heatwaves’ and has been investigating the effects of these events, which are becoming increasingly common because of climate change.

One of his collaborators, Dan Smale of the Marine Biological Association, attended the event. He said: “Mike has always been a big role model and someone I looked up to. He is an excellent communicator of his science, some of which is very complex and nuanced.

“I worked with him a lot on kelp ecosystems and climate change impacts, particularly around marine heatwaves, and some of his papers on that are world leading.

“He is always approachable and helpful for early career researchers, in particular, and I think many people here will say that will be one of his main legacies.”

As well as the ‘This is your life’ social event, SAMS hosted talks from Prof. Burrows’ colleagues past and present. Among those presenting were scientists from throughout his career, from his PhD supervisor Steve Hawkins to current students Caitlin Lamb, Hayley Swanlund.

Prof. Burrows said: “I was so happy to see and catch up with so many old friends, students and colleagues at the meeting, travelling and joining remotely from faraway places. And to have an opportunity to thank all those who have put up with me along the way. What a career it has been, from barnacles to global climate change!

“Now I’m free to go where the science takes me and to have more time wandering idly along the seashores of the world. It’s not over yet!”