Peter Cullen (scientist)

Professor Peter Cullen AO FTSE, MAgrSc, DipEd (Melb), Hon DUniv (Canb), (born May 18, 1943, Melbourne, Victoria; died March 14 2008, Canberra) was a leading Australian water scientist.

Education

The son of an engineer, Cullen got his start as a water expert very early in life when his father moved to Tallangatta to overshadow that town's relocation to accommodate an expanded Hume Dam. Cullen studied agricultural science at the University of Melbourne and soon turned to detailed studies of irrigation and the problems it can bring to the land it makes productive.

Work

Cullen's major professional work was related to water in the environment, notably nutrient dynamics, freshwater and lake ecology, environmental flows, and catchment management.

Cullen retired from the University of Canberra in 2002 and actively continued his advocacy for water in the environment, notably as a founder of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, and as a regular interviewee on radio and television when water ecology was discussed.

Honours

* Prime Minister's Prize for Environmentalist of the Year in 2001 for his work on the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality
* Dean of Applied Science, University of Canberra
* South Australian Thinker in Residence, 2004 [ [http://www.thinkers.sa.gov.au/pcullen.html Professor Peter Cullen - Water and Sustainable Landscapes 11 March-11 June 2004] , accessed 15 March 2008]

Memberships

* Founding Member, Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists
* Commissioner, National Water Commission
* Member, Natural Heritage Trust Advisory Committee
* Chair, Scientific Advisory Panel, Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Forum
* Chair, Victorian Water Trust Advisory Council
* Former Director, Co-operative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology (1993-2002), University of Canberra
* Former President, Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies
* Member, International Water Academy
* Visiting Fellow, CSIRO Land and Water
* Director, Land and Water Australia
* Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering

Tributes

Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said, "Peter Cullen was a giant in terms of his contribution to natural resource management and water management in Australia." [ [http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23374164-1702,00.html Cullen was a conservation giant - Greens] , News Corp, 14 March 2008 (accessed 15 March 2008)] .

Dr Paul Sinclair from the Australian Conservation Foundation said, "There are academics who like to bang in the ivory tower and there are academics who like to be down and dirty in the swamp. Peter Cullen... liked to be down and dirty in the swamp.... When he retired from his academic post, it appeared to me that there was ... no change in his work regime and he appeared to be busier than ever." [ [http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/14/2189824.htm Tributes flow for water expert Cullen] , ABC Online, 14 March 2008, accessed 15 March 2008]

Family

Cullen lived with his wife, Rev. Vicky Cullen, at their home at Gunning, New South Wales near Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. Cullen was active in the Anglican Church of Australia, notably the Cursillo movement.

Cullen collapsed at his home on 11 March and was admitted to Canberra Hospital where he died on 14 March 2008.

References

External links

* [http://www.wentworthgroup.org/members/prof-peter-cullen-ao-ftse Wentworth Group page]