Daphne Lee

Daphne E. Lee is a New Zealand geologist, palaeontologist and emeritus professor at the University of Otago. She is best known for her work on Foulden Maar and her research into fossils discovered at that site, and her work to improve geoscience education.

Biography Lee was brought up on a farm near the Mataura River in Southland, and attended Gore High School, where she was a member of the geology club. Lee studied geology at the University of Otago and went on to complete a PhD in 1981, studying part-time while she had a family. Her dissertation was titled The Cenozoic and Recent rhynchonellide brachiopods of New Zealand, with an account of the Eocene and Paleocene brachiopod faunas. She joined the university in 1988, and was for many years the only woman faculty member in the Department of Geology. Lee’s research group was “the largest and most active university paleontological group” in New Zealand. Lee was an associate professor at the Geology Department of the University of Otago, from which she retired in 2018. In 2024 she was awarded the title emeritus professor, "in recognition of her outstanding career as one of New Zealand’s most prominent, dedicated and passionate paleontologists". She is a coordinator of a research team that has focused on researching the fossil site Foulden Maar. Lee is the curator of the University of Otago Geology Museum. The group created teaching materials and contributed to the national science curriculum for years 1–11, ensuring that earth science was included in the science curriculum in all schools. Lee was a vocal opponent of the proposed mining of Foulden Maar.

Awards Lee was awarded the Geoscience Society of New Zealand McKay Hammer Award in 2017. In November 2024, Lee was made an honorary life member of the Geoscience Society of New Zealand, with the citation noting her “significant contributions to the Society’s endeavours to improve geological education in New Zealand schools and her sustained support of GSNZ throughout her distinguished career.

Selected publications