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STAFF PROFILES
Jens Kruger
Jens is of a German descent,
born in Africa but spent most
of his life in the Pacific. Jens
has had frequent contact
with SOPAC since early days
as a Project Assistant before
resuming studies in New
Zealand. Jens then worked in
New Zealand and the UK as a
coastal geologist and marine
geophysicist before returning
once again to SOPAC as an
Adviser. Jens is currently the
Acting Deputy Director of the
Geoscience for Development
(formerly Ocean and Islands)
Programme.
Where are you from and what was it like growing up there?
I was born in Africa, have a German Passport, but have spent most
of my life in the Pacific Region. My teenage years were filled with
adventures growing up in Papua New Guinea. My family lived in a
remote part of the Finisterre Ranges for two years before moving to
Lae. This enabled me to appreciate grassroots Melanesia, as well as
become an expert off-roader on both two and four wheels.
What’s your first memory of joining SOPAC?
I started off as an intern doing sand analysis at the MRD soil lab. At
the time the soil lab was infested with fleas, so my first memories
were of battles with sand and fleas.
How has your work at SOPAC evolved over the years?
After sieving sand as an intern for several months, a project assistant
job was advertised which I applied for, and at that time I was the only
applicant, so I got the job and took that up for two years. After that, I
went abroad to do my Masters and worked in New Zealand and the
UK as a coastal geologist and marine geophysicist. I then returned
to SOPAC as an Adviser eight years ago, and currently manage a
small group of exceptionally bright and enthusiastic people working
on exciting projects.
What’s the most memorable thing to happen whilst working
at SOPAC?
I was a shy Intern when I was called into the Director’s office one
morning, where the then Director posed the question ‘Jens, what is
the Internet?’ This baffled me a little, but made me realise that there
is much more to leadership than just being a technical boffin. That
and diving for work in shark infested waters, which is always very
unnerving.
What do you wish other people knew about your work or
project(s)?
There is never a dull moment as the Pacific has more than 45,000
km of coastline, and these shorelines are forever changing as a result
of the interplay between tides, waves and sand. It is only the human
factor that seeks permanence at the time scale of generations and
therefore needs managing. This keeps us busy one bite sized chunk
of coastline at a time – always improving our tools along the way.
What might (someone) be surprised to know about you?
People are surprised that I speak Pidgin, but not French.
Any advice to our younger readers?
Every individual has a wealth of knowledge and they don’t necessarily
tweet about it. Working at SPC lets you meet people from diverse
backgrounds: always take time to get to know others and learn from
their experiences and about their values, even if you disagree with
them. I also don’t have a Twitter account, so you would not have
read this advice in a tweet.
Do you have a favourite or fond memory?
Too many! It’s hard to put any one above the others. But it was
hugely exciting to stand on the deck of the MV Tekimarawa- it’s been
seven years since we wrote the proposal, got funding, and now
we’ve finally managed to get the vessel operating! Also, Maritime
Boundaries- the Maritime Boundaries Project has achieved more in
terms of international processes and setting boundaries than any
other region in the world. It is more progressive, more harmonious,
and seeing that sort of progress of the treaties finally getting signed
to me is just heart-warming on a level that I find it hard to describe.
Where to next for you?
Kiribati is home, my wife and girls are there so I’ll be based out of
Tarawa. I love my science and I do science because I love it, not
because it’s my job. Definitely I will continue working in the science
of climate change particularly as it relates to shoreline vulnerability
and community vulnerability in coastal locations and tropical islands.
Exactly how I will do that, I’m not sure. There are a lot of opportunities
out there and I’m not quite sure which one is right for me, but I’ll
figure it out. Watch this space.
What hopes do you have for the region in terms of
coastal processes and climate change?
I don’t know how to answer that simply. What I hope is that there can
be coordination between donors, countries, and technical entities
such as ours in terms of how we’re going to approach the future
challenges. At the moment, we’re sprinkling band-aid solutions all
over the place and it gives a false sense of security to people who
live in these places that they are protected. Given what we know
about climate change and sea level rise, we just can’t afford to be
making those mistakes. So I’d love to see the donors, countries, and
technical assistants come together with a true common approach
so that we take long term, lasting, and appropriate actions. And we
have to start now- if we wait 50 years, it’s too late.
January - March 2014