I was absolutely delighted when Peter approached me with the opportunity to become a science editor for Rockwatch magazine in October 2024. I am a former member of Rockwatch from over 20 years ago and the club has played a huge role in the subsequent development of my career as a geologist. I still remember the excitement I would feel every time the latest issue of Rockwatch magazine dropped onto my doormat. The broad range of geological topics, beautifully illustrated by stunning photographs, would often inspire me to undertake a geological project or field trip during my school holidays. My interest in geology, and particularly fossils, was sparked by my early childhood years in the New Forest, Hampshire (southern England). I learned from a neighbour about a small river in the forest, where I could find beautiful fossil sea shells and even occasionally shark teeth! I was fascinated by how such fossils of sea creatures could be found in a river bed that is now 75 metres above sea level and over 15 miles from the nearest coastline. I learned that these fossils were actually Eocene in age (around 44 million years old) and were deposited when a shallow subtropical sea covered the area where I lived. From that point on, I was hooked! I was already a member of Southampton Mineral and Fossil Society with my dad and learned about Rockwatch from a leaflet at one of their monthly meetings. I quickly signed up at the age of 11 and then a few years later entered their national competition (known then as the Rockhound Competition) and in later years, entered the Rockwatch Rock Writer competition. These competitions presented a fantastic opportunity to develop my geological skills and learn more about the subject. I was a competition winner on two occasions and received some fantastic fossil specimens for my prizes, which still hold pride of place in my collection. The prize-giving ceremony in London was held at the prestigious London HQ of Anglo American, who sponsored the annual competition. The Rockwatch Magazine is also an excellent source of interesting articles and some, along with the fact cards, even helped with revision for my A-level Geology and Geography courses! I have also contributed several articles to Rockwatch magazine over the years and look forward to contributing more regularly in my new role as science editor alongside Peter from the start of 2025. My membership of Rockwatch and the Southampton Society, along with the geology and geography I studied at school, all led to my decision to study a Master’s degree in Geology at the University of Southampton. I graduated with a First Class Degree in 2008 and found a job immediately as a geologist for an oil and gas consultancy in Oxfordshire from September 2008 – September 2014. I mentioned my membership and association with Rockwatch during my job interview and the management had heard of the club. This evidence of extra-curricular interest in the subject may also have helped with the job offer I received! Working as a geologist during those 6 years enabled me to travel to many different and exciting countries to do fieldwork, including Norway, Russia, France, Turkey, Oman, Canada and the USA. I have also presented posters and papers at a number of international geoscience conferences. After 2 years of hard work, I finally published my first book in August 2014, a geologically-themed walking guide to the mountains around Fort William in Scotland (Rockwatch even got a mention in the “About Me” section!). This was followed almost 7 years later by the publication of my second book in January 2021, a guide to the geology and fossils of the New Forest, the beautiful area which initially sparked my interest in geology and fossils as a child. In September 2014 I returned to academia to study for a PhD in Geology at the University of Exeter, based at its Cornwall Campus near Falmouth. My research focussed on reconstructing past “greenhouse” climates during the Paleocene epoch (~66–55 million years ago), using the tiny calcite shells of marine microplankton called foraminifera. These were obtained from deep-sea sediment cores drilled in the South Atlantic and Indian oceans. Foraminifera shells are no bigger than the fine grains of sand you find at the beach and can only be identified with the aid of a powerful microscope. This work can aid predictions of our future climate over the next few hundred years with ongoing human-induced climate change. I completed my PhD in 2018 and then moved north to start a post-doctoral research position at the University of St Andrews (Scotland) in November 2019. This subsequently turned into a lectureship position from April 2021, which I am still in today. My research at St Andrews is still focussed on reconstructing climates using foraminifera shells during hot “greenhouse” episodes in the geological past, with a particular focus on the Late Cretaceous, Paleocene and Eocene (67 to 34 million years ago). I still regularly write and publish articles, both within academic peer-reviewed journals as well as journals accessible to a wider audience such as Geology Today. I have come a long away and achieved a lot since I first joined Rockwatch, but I think it’s important to recognise that Rockwatch gave me the opportunities for this success, including the opportunity to practise and refine my creative writing skills through entries to the Rock Writer competition, along with the geological knowledge I acquired through the club’s magazine, fact cards and field trips. In my new role as science editor, I can’t wait to contribute to the magazine and club which formed the building blocks for my successful career as a geologist. This position will perfectly combine two of my passions – geology and writing – and I hope to inspire the current Rockwatch membership in the same way as I was inspired by Rockwatch as a young child. I’m sure some of you will follow in my footsteps and become the geologists of the future!