The University of Western Australia

Born in Kenya, 1950; educated in Kenya, the UK and South Africa. Qualifications: BSc Agric. (Natal) 1972, majoring in Soil Science and Chemistry; PhD (Natal) 1976, thesis on Characteristics of Sesquioxidic Soils.
1972-1975: Professional Officer, Soil & Irrigation Research Institute, SA Department of Agricultural Technical Services: soil mapping
1975-1977: H Redinger Exploration and Development (Pty) Ltd: bauxite exploration
1977: Temporary Lecturer in Soil Science, University of Natal
1978-1979: Post-doctoral research associate, Texas A & M University
1979-1992: Lecturer /Senior lecturer/Associate Professor in Soil Science, University of Natal
1986: Visiting Professor, Department of Agronomy, University of Georgia
1992-93: Head, Department of Agronomy, University of Natal
1994-2000: Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town: environmental geochemistry
2000-2008: Professor and Chair of Soil Science, University of Stellenbosch
2009- Professorial Fellow, School of Earth and Environment, University of Western Australia.
Martin Fey’s university teaching subjects have included soil chemistry, soil fertility and plant nutrition, pedology, clay mineralogy and environmental geochemistry. His research has mainly been done with more than 60 MSc and PhD students. He has authored or co-authored about 60 peer-reviewed scientific articles and has presented papers at international conferences in the UK, France, Poland, New Zealand, Mexico, USA, Canada, Ireland, Australia, Tanzania, Germany and Brazil. In 2000 he convened the 5th International Symposium on Environmental Geochemistry in Cape Town. He formerly served as editor of the South African Journal of Plant and Soil and on the editorial board of Applied Geochemistry. He has worked closely with several South African agricultural, industrial and mining companies, has consulted on soil problems with maize production in the Congo, has visited Kenya regularly to advise on soil problems in the tea industry and has investigated bauxite deposits in Guyana. His awards include the BP scholarship in Agriculture, the Soil Science Society of South Africa medal for best conference paper (four times) and the Fertilizer Society of South Africa’s Silver Medal for Research (ca 1990) and Gold medal (2007) for teaching, research and extension activities. He served on the South African Soil Classification Working Group and the National Research Foundation evaluation panel for Earth Sciences. His recent research activities have included dryland salinity and water quality in the Western Cape, evaluating soils as protectors of groundwater quality, using coal ash for liming acid soils and writing a technical book on the soils of South Africa. His current appointment includes some teaching but focuses on research into the rehabilitation and reuse of bauxite processing residues and other mining wastes.