Professor Haberle is currently the Director of the School of Culture, History and Language in the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University. Simon is a lead scientist in the ARC Centre of Excellence in Australian Biodiveristy and Heritage. In his research, Professor Haberle uses biotic (pollen, spores and charcoal) and abiotic (geochemical) indicators preserved in sedimentary profiles that can then be interpreted in ways that reveal past human-environmental dynamics.  Through measuring heavy metals in a range of palaeo-environmental contexts throughout the Asia and Pacific region, including Australia, Professor Haberle aims of understanding the long-term impact that these elements may have on ecosystem function and structure. He also actively conducts research on the impacts of atmospheric particles in contemporary urban landscapes (currently focusing on pollen and smoke particles) on human health. The Palaeoworks research group in the Archaeology and Natural History program in the School of Culture, History and Language at the Australian National University, is one of the leading laboratories in the study of deep-time human-environmental interactions and is an ideal place to study the impact of mercury on our environment over past decades through to past millennia. Current research on mercury includes the role of past climate change and human activity on tropical and temperate ecosystems through work in the Southern Hemisphere. Through the application of high-resolution palaeoecological analysis, it is possible to unveil the effects of past climate variability and human activities on the biogeochemical cycle of mercury.