Professor John Townend is an internationally recognised geophysicist who has made societally important discoveries regarding the stresses on faults and the processes governing earthquakes. He has co-led an ambitious, decade-long mission to drill into, sample, and monitor the Alpine Fault, and led inaugural studies of the seismic noise field, low-frequency earthquakes and the tectonic stress field. He maintains an extensive network of international collaborators, and attracts high-calibre students and early-career researchers to Aotearoa, who have gone on to successful academic careers. Professor Townend’s advice is widely sought by international scientific organisations (including as President of the Seismological Society of America) and national and international government agencies. He has cemented Aotearoa’s position as a global leader in earthquake science through his influential research and outstanding scientific leadership.