Rate My Professor Peter Kershaw

Kershaw's research centers on palynology and palaeoecology, employing fossil pollen analysis to reconstruct Quaternary vegetation, climate, and fire histories in Australasia and Southeast Asia, with key sites including Lynch’s Crater in northeast Queensland. His pioneering work demonstrated the profound impact of Aboriginal burning on landscapes from around 38,000 years ago, challenging traditional views of natural-only environmental change. He developed bioclimatic profiles for quantitative palaeoclimate reconstruction and integrated multi-proxy approaches. Major publications include the book "Quaternary Environments" (1993), "Climatic change and Aboriginal burning in north-east Australia during the last two glacial/interglacial cycles" (Nature, 1986), "Late Quaternary fire regimes of Australasia" (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2011), and "Past and future global transformation of terrestrial ecosystems under climate change" (Science, 2018). Kershaw edited volumes such as "Bridging Wallace’s Line" (2002) and served as Editor-in-Chief of Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (2005-2013). He held the presidency of the Australasian Association of Palynology and Palaeobotany (1988-1992) and is a Life Member of the Australasian Quaternary Association. In 2026, he will receive the J. P. Thomson Medal from the Royal Geographical Society of Queensland.