Craig Cary: A protector of the environment
Colleagues around the world are mourning the loss of University of Waikato microbial biologist, Professor Craig Cary, who dedicated his life to research in some of the world’s toughest environments.
Professor Cary died unexpectedly on campus at the age of 69.
40 years of research
Craig was a highly respected and dedicated member of the university’s academic community, contributing significantly to the research landscape. He dedicated 20 years to the university and more than 40 years to the study of microbial life in extreme environments, including deep-sea hydrothermal vents and Antarctic soils.
Craig participated in over 29 deep-sea expeditions to hydrothermal vents, 45 dives in research submersibles and spent 18 seasons conducting groundbreaking research in Antarctica with over 22 deployments – something only a handful of people across New Zealand have had the honour of doing. His last visit to Antarctica was in November 2023.
Deputy Vice-chancellor Research, Professor Gary Wilson, reflected on his 15-year friendship and collaboration with Craig. “I am deeply saddened by this tragedy. It was a privilege to know, and to have worked with Craig, and have played a small part in his amazing life,” Gary says.
Close friend and colleague of 20 years, Deputy Dean, Te Aka Matuatua - School of Science, Professor Ian Mcdonald, also shared over 15 expeditions to Antarctica with Craig. “He was my best friend; we started at the University of Waikato on the same day, and we were neighbours for 15 years,” Ian says.
Generous personality
Beyond his scholarly achievements, Craig was known for his unwavering passion for mentorship. Countless students and colleagues benefited from his guidance, and his positive influence will be felt for years to come.
“He was a huge supporter of the University of Waikato, and the research culture. He would spend hours with his students, helping other people achieve their research goals,” Ian says. “Craig was a natural storyteller; he could talk to anyone and bring anything to life. I remember he shared a bunk room at Scott
Base with journalist, Patrick Gower. Craig talked the socks off Paddy but enjoyed it so much that they filmed a segment in that room, sitting on the bed.”
From Craig’s arrival at Waikato, he began changing the paradigm on microorganisms in Antarctica, with several seminal contributions published with international co-authors in Nature journals. Craig, Ian, and Gary worked on ‘blue skies’ research – focusing on what’s in the environment, pushing back the frontiers of the world’s understanding of the fundamental building blocks of Earth's biological systems. In his early research career at the University of Delaware, Craig made many trips to the deep ocean floor aboard the Deep Sea Submersible DSV Alvin. From the DSV Alvin, Craig and his colleagues conducted in situ experiments and collected samples that allowed them to define previously unknown life around deep-sea hydrothermal vents.
In these deep, dark, very high-pressure environments, Craig and his collaborators discovered life thrived where the hot anoxic fluids mixed with cold oxygenated water in the ocean deep. These thermophilic microbes play an important role in converting chemical energy into food for the rest of the vent community, now known to include over 300 species.
Craig and his team went on to explore and document the ‘wilderness’ of genes existing at the vents, in one of the first ever metagenomic studies of any environment.
Strong ties to Antarctica
Science reporter at New Zealand Herald, Jamie Morton has met some of the world’s more extraordinary scientists, but says it was Craig who stood out amongst the crowd. Not just for his research – understood to have had one of the highest tallies for trips to the ice, but also for his warmth and passion.
“I fondly recall his excitement in explaining to me how taxonomy and advanced DNA technology held the key to revealing the secrets of Antarctica’s poorly understood biological diversity, or how the towering Mt Erebus, which he and his team drilled directly into, hosted a dazzling abundance of extremely unusual micro-organisms,” Jamie says.
“His will be a huge loss for our tightknit Antarctic community – and Aotearoa science more widely.”
Antarctica has relatively simple ecosystems so by understanding how bacteria operated in that extreme environment, he could also apply that to how they would behave in more complex ecosystems.
Craig made discoveries that fundamentally changed how the scientific community views microorganisms in Antarctica. Most notably, his work led to the recognition of strong biogeographical patterns in Antarctic soil microorganisms, which has had profound scientific and biosecurity implications.
Antarctica New Zealand General Manager Policy, Environment and Health and Safety, Ceisha Poirot, says Craig was one of the few people who would just pick up the phone and have a chat – often giving his professional insight.
“You’d agree to all these things on the phone, and by the time you get back to your desk, you stop and think, what did I just agree to,” Ceisha laughed.
“He had a real infectious enthusiasm to protect the environment, a larger-than-life kind of guy, who was passionate, a master at his craft and able to connect with anyone he knew.”
Antarctica New Zealand General Manager Operations, Simon Trotter, says Craig experienced more in a lifetime than most, and the people who had the honour of meeting him have all been positively impacted in some way or another.
Research with an impact
A $1 million Marsden grant in 2019, saw a group of researchers complete a world first mission inside the high-temperature soils on the summit of Mount Erebus, the most southern active volcano on the planet. The group was led by Craig and discovered some of the rarest and oldest living organisms on Earth.
In March last year, Craig also undertook a world first survey for bird flu, where he monitored a colony of one million Adelie penguins, trekking nine hours in and around the colony to look for signs of infection. He also developed a robot that can sample planktonic communities under the Antarctic ice shelf to help forecast the future impacts of climate change.
Craig’s most famous discoveries centred on Alvinella pompejana, the Pompeii worm, which revealed its remarkable survival capabilities in extreme conditions – making it the most thermal-tolerant organism known to science. His findings not only expanded our understanding of extremophiles but also held potential applications in pharmaceutical production.
In 2021, Craig was part of a group of international scientists that were awarded a $1.8m grant from the worldrenown Human Frontier Science Program to study the evolution of the epsilonproteobacteria’s powerful flagellum.
A dedicated family man
While he will always be remembered for the passion he had for science, he was most proud of his role as a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. His family describes him as a loyal, generous, and loving man, who inspired them.
He and his wife Amy shared a love that spanned 35 years, and together they raised two children, Ky and Robin, whom he adored, and a grandson Rio, who he loved deeply. He was a wonderful provider who took an active role in his children’s life. He was very proud of them and the partners they had chosen.