Born in New Plymouth in 1933, it seemed an unlikely scenario that James would build his research legacy at a university as far afield as Nebraska, but that’s exactly what he did.
A respected and well-loved researcher, James passed away in early 2020; however, his legacy lives on in the field of herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians) and now in the form of a new Auckland Museum scholarship opened in his memory: the Dr James Fawcett Postgraduate Research Awards (learn more).
James’s journey to becoming an academic at the University of Nebraska began with him completing a bachelor’s and master’s degree in science at the University of Auckland. His master’s thesis, supervised by Associate Professor, Joan Robb, focused on the life history and ecology of Oligosoma ornatum (then known as Sphenomorphus pseudornatus), a skink commonly known as the ornate skink.
Indeed, it was this thesis that set the groundwork for James's academic career abroad.