Peter Friend retired in 2001 after a career spent teaching and researching in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge. His boyhood was spent in Scotland, where he became fascinated by the variety and beauty of the natural landscapes. From his base in Cambridge, he carried out research programmes in Spitsbergen, Greenland, Spain, Pakistan and India, and became increasingly aware of the importance of rivers in shaping landscapes. He is currently Chairman of the Friends of the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences and Emeritus Fellow of Darwin College, Cambridge.