My main field of research has been cold environment geomorphology, within which I am particularly interested in weathering processes. Following my early process studies in the mountains of northern Norway, I have been involved in similar undertakings in the Antarctic over the past 30 years in conjunction with the French, South African, New Zealand, Italian and British national research programmes. Additional studies have been undertaken in Tibet (with the Chinese National Academy of Sciences), in the Andes (with the Argentinean Institute of Snow and Ice Studies), the Namib Desert (with the Institute for Environmental Sciences, UOFS), and in the Drakensberg Mountains of southern Africa (with the Universities of Natal and Pretoria). Weathering studies have concentrated on gaining thermal and moisture data in the field and linking this to process - especially at the grain scale. Recent studies have involved the investigation of light penetration into rock and the impact this has on the thermal gradients, on monitoring the thermal conditions of individual mineral grains (using infra-red remote sensing and micro-thermocouples), non-destructive monitoring of changes to rock properties by means of ultrasonics, and the application of micro-sensors for monitoring interstitial rock moisture. Laboratory simulations are undertaken to better understand the grain-to-grain thermal conditions by means of computer-controlled thermal stages that allow for the measured (in the field)high rates of change of temperature (20°C/min). Current long-term work is concentrating on understanding the weathering processes affecting San rock art in southern Africa - particularly the application of thermal infra-red sensing of pigment temperatures and the use of thermal imaging cameras to look at the thermal differentiation as a stress factor to a painting. This study is also using XRD, Raman spectroscopy and SEM analyses of the pigments and rock substrate to better understand the chemistry of the pigments and their relationship to the rock. Recent international co-operation has been with the University of Clermont-Ferrand (France), University of Santiago de Compostella (Spain), University of Uppsala (Sweden), the Italian National Antarctic Research Program, and the University of Pretoria (South Africa); with support for the San rock art research provided by the National Geographic Society.