Robert Headland is a senior associate of the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge. His principal interests are historical geography and associated subjects. Specifically, this work concerns human effects on polar regions, especially navigation and the smaller islands and archipelagos. Examination of archives and other historical records, from the earliest expeditions to recent events, has allowed him to provide data for studies of long periods of climatic variation, with glaciological and biological changes.

An advisor to several expeditionary organizations and departments of government, he is also a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the Institute for Historical Research of the University of London.  As well as public lecturing, he contributes to several academic courses.  In 1984 he was decorated with the Polar Medal and is a member of the Arctic Club and the Antarctic Club.

In 1977 his research began with the British Antarctic Survey and extended to the Arctic with expeditions of the Scott Polar Research Institute.  Aboard passenger vessels he has lectured during austral and boreal summers for many years to travellers on the history of exploration of the Arctic and Antarctic.  Much of this has been aboard icebreakers able to visit many of the remoter regions.  During this time, he has been associated with the conservation of historical huts and related sites.  In the Arctic he has made several transits of the Northwest Passage, the Northeast Passage, voyaged to the North Pole, visited most Eurasian Arctic archipelagos, Greenland and the North American Arctic.  In the Antarctic he has been on circumnavigating voyages, visited many national coastal stations and the historical huts from the ‘heroic era’.  His time on the peri-Antarctic islands has been extensive where, among several subjects, he has investigated historical sites used by early sealers and others.

Language spoken : English

Photo credit : DR/ARR