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Congratulations to Professor Julian Dowdeswell (1977), College Fellow and Director of the , on being awarded the W S Bruce Medal from the for his contributions to glaciology and polar science.

First awarded in 1923, the W S Bruce Medal recognises notable contributions to a certain subject area where new knowledge has been gained through a personal visit to polar regions.

Professor Dowdeswell's recent work includes a co-authored study published in September 2019 which revealed that the eastern ice shelf of Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is melting faster than previous estimates, suggesting the shelf may collapse sooner than expected.

Chief Scientist for in January 2019, he led work to study and map the Larsen C ice shelf in western Antarctica. The expedition also reached the wreck site of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance, but deteriorating weather and ice conditions forced searchers to abandon the quest to locate Endurance - for now.

On receiving the award, Professor Dowdeswell said: “Given Bruce's major reputation as an early polar explorer and scientist, it is a particular honour to be awarded the Royal Scottish Geographical Society's medal that bears his name.”