Michael Gagan

Michael Gagan is an Honorary Professor at the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences (SEALS), University of Wollongong (2022–present). His research focuses on tropical palaeoclimatology, natural hazards, and early human migration in Australasia, with a long-term collaboration with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

Research interests include:

• Isotope geochemistry of corals and speleothems
• Reconstruction of Quaternary environments and monsoon dynamics
• Impact of climate change on human migration and ecosystems
• Earthquake cycle analysis via coral uplift studies

Recent work highlights include the ARC Discovery Grant DP180103762 (2019–2026) exploring past climates, volcanic disasters, and earthquakes in Australasia. His publications span 158 outputs, with recent studies addressing aridification impacts on Flores' Homo floresiensis, earthquake-induced coral uplift, and fire-frequency reconstructions from speleothems.

Grants include:

• Australia-Indonesia Institute Grant (2023–2024) for education projects
• ARC LIEF grants for lab infrastructure (2010, 2005)

His work bridges earth sciences and archaeology, using geochemical tracers to unravel environmental and human histories in tropical regions.