John has degrees in geoscience from ANU and the University of Tasmania. His PhD from the University of Tasmania was based on studies of the geochemistry and petrology of young volcanic rocks from the active volcanic systems in the eastern Sunda Arc, Indonesia, and much of his subsequent work has dwelt on modern and ancient arc systems.  He has been based in Geology and Geophysics at the University of Adelaide since the 1980s. His work there has included the development of geochemical and isotopic analytical facilities at the University of Adelaide, where our current facilities mark us amongst the top 5 Australian university geoscience labs. His research has dwelt on mantle and crustal magmatic evolution and the role of magmatism in the geochemical evolution of the crust and sub-crustal lithosphere. He is currently an editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research  and the Bulletin of the Geological Society of America and is an ex-president of the Geological Society of Australia. Foremost amongst current projects is the collaborative research with Flinders Mining and post-doctoral researcher Ralf Tappert, on the kimberlites and their mantle and crustal xenoliths and diamonds from South Australia.