Flinders University recently lost one of its bright young stars when palaeontologist James Moore was tragically killed with a friend in a head-on car crash near Whyalla on 29 December 2014.

James was employed as the research officer in palaeontology on an Australian National Data Service project.

James became part of the Flinders palaeontology group after he participated in field trips to the Naracoorte and southwest WA caves in 2008 as a 17-year-old Year 11 student. He studied biology and palaeontology at Flinders, took up a position with the Research Data Team in the Research Services Office, and then returned to palaeontology in mid-2014. He was a President of the FU Palaeontology Society and primary driver of the annual Diggers Shield cricket match with the Archaeology Society.

Associate Professor Gavin Prideaux described James was “one of the nicest, kindest, most considerate, humble, enthusiastic, meticulous and hard-working people anyone could wish to meet”.

In his honour, James’s family and the Palaeontology group have set up the James Moore Memorial Scholarship fund, which will provide opportunities for upper-level high-school students from rural SA to participate in palaeontology field trips and lab work.

Please contact Gavin Prideaux (gavin.prideaux@flinders.edu.au) for further details.