The honorary professor of geology at the University of Otago has just been awarded the title of emeritus professor, in recognition of her outstanding career as one of New Zealand’s most prominent, dedicated and passionate paleontologists.
Her momentous teaching and research career has been forged over several decades during her long association with the geology department, that began as a student in 1969 and continues today.
It may be difficult to believe, but Emeritus Prof Lee said she nearly gave up on her passion as a profession before it even started.
She said she had always been interested in geology.
"When I was a child, I lived on a farm by the Mataura River [in Southland] and I collected all the beautiful stones and pebbles that were washed down the river.
"The farm I lived on had some rock outcrop, so I was interested in that, too, and we spent our summer holidays at Riverton where there are some very interesting rocks and amazing shells on the beach."
It was not until later, when she was at Gore High School, that she learnt her passion was actually called "geology".
A teacher ran a geology club and she was a keen member for most of her secondary school education.
"The people who have a passion for collecting never lose it.
"Everywhere you go in Southland, and to some extent Otago, there are different things which I worked out that had a geological explanation.
"So one of the things I wanted to do was find out about them and be able to tell the story about them."
She went on to study a bachelor of geology (honours) degree at the University of Otago in 1969.
But after that, she started to have doubts about geology as a profession.
"I thought, ‘Hmm, maybe this isn’t a good career path’."
So she took a year off geology to study psychology, education and anthropology, and worked at Otago Museum at the same time.
"After a year, I thought, ‘I’m actually a scientist and I wanted to go back to geology’.
"So I worked part-time on a PhD in geology. It was good to have that year off because it helped me decide what I really wanted to be."
She had her first child while doing her PhD and, in 1981, became the first New Zealand woman to graduate with a PhD in geology.
In 1988, she became a member of the male-dominated teaching staff at the University of Otago’s geology department.
"I was the first and only woman on staff for years and years. I was used to it. My male colleagues were fine.
"I hope I’ve trailblazed a path for other females to join the profession."
One of the highlights has been her ongoing research on the Foulden Maar fossil deposit, near Middlemarch.
In addition to publishing more than 40 papers to-date from this body of research, she and her international colleagues also published a book as a comprehensive written and visual record of the sheer diversity of fossils collected from the site.
In 2018, Prof Lee tried to officially retire, but she continues to lead active research, supervise PhD students, publish papers, and present her work widely.
Her work in the department’s geology museum also continues, where she curates the vast collection of plant and animal fossils, which have been collected over the decades.
"Like I said earlier - the people who have a passion for collecting never lose it."
