I am an historian, a university lecturer and a podcaster. My Fellowship was spent in Australia and New Zealand, where I researched the modern-day impact of the arrival of HMS Endeavour in 1770. This important moment in global history has had long and deep consequences and I wanted to speak to those directly involved with the story today.

The research that I did helped to inform the book Endeavour: The Ship and the Attitude that Changed the World, which was released in 2018. That book was a Sunday Times bestseller and a New York Times pick. Since then, I have returned to New Zealand to give a keynote talk on HMS Endeavour and colonial legacies at the Tuia 250 official commemorations.

For me the Fellowship was a unique opportunity to learn and travel. During the course of my four-week trip I met academics, curators, writers, artists and indigenous peoples. Many of these relationships are treasured and have endured. For example, I was able to interview the specialist historian Kate Fullagar on the legacy of Cook for my UK-based podcast.