Dr. Mick O Leary

Biography

Mick O'Leary is an Associate Professor at the University of Western Australia. He completed his PhD at James Cook University in 2007, focusing on palaeosea level histories during interglacial periods. He has extensive postdoctoral research experience in the UK and the USA, examining modern carbonate sedimentary environments and their relationship with past sea levels of the Pliocene epoch. O'Leary is recognized as a climate geoscientist with expertise in tropical coastal geomorphology, coral reef and reef-island evolution, and climate change science. His research centers on sea level reconstructions during periods of known climatic instability, which provides crucial insights into the future stability of polar ice sheets and the response of tropical coasts to anticipated sea level rise. Additionally, he has expanded his research interests to include submerged landscape archaeology, addressing the deep history of early human migrations and the role of climate in the peopling of Australia. His broad research agenda crosses disciplinary boundaries with a core focus on climate change, coastal evolution, and human behavior across deep time, along with present-day projections for the future.

Research Interests

Experience