Paul Sumner is Professor and Head of Department of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at UFH.

Paul was born and bred in Eshowe in KZN and after completing high school he studied for a BSc with majors in geography and chemistry at the then Pietermaritzburg campus of the University of Natal. After completing his H.D.E. he pursued an Honours and an MSc degree in geography also at the same institution. Captured by university life, Paul took his first post as a temporary lecturer at the University of Fort Hare where he stayed for two years and then moved to a lectureship at the University of Pretoria in 1997.

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Paul was drawn to the mountains and worked on footpath erosion in the Drakensberg for his Masters dissertation. His PhD was on the palaeo-landforms in Lesotho which he completed in 2003 at the University of Pretoria. Paul has always had an interest in rock weathering processes and has studied these extensively on Marion Island and in the Drakensberg. 

He was the Principal Investigator on an ARC / Unisa / UP Climate Change Collaboration Centre project on modelling the impact of climate change on erosion and sediment yield as well as the PI on a NRF/SANAP project entitled: Environmental responses to climatic change on Marion Island. After working with colleagues and postgraduates in the sub-Antarctic, Paul’s interest shifted to more tropical climes where he has co-led studies on erosion phenomena on Mauritius since 2006, with colleagues from the University of Mauritius and the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. 

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After moving up the ranks at the University of Pretoria he served as Professor and Head of Department of the Department of Geography Geoinformatics and Meteorology, as well as acting Director of the Centre for Environmental Studies. After more than two decades at UP he returned to the University of Fort Hare in 2019 and is currently serving as Professor and HOD of the Department of Geography and Environmental Science.

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Paul has organized numerous SAAG conferences and was the editor of two special editions emanating from these SAAG Conferences (Geografiska Annaler and the South African Geographical Journal). He was also the past president of SAAG (1998-2000) and a member of the National Committee of the International Geographical Union (IGU), as appointed through the NRF as National Adhering Organisation to the International Council for Science (ICSU). Paul has made numerous guest and invited lectures, notably in Taiwan at the National Taiwan University in Taipei and at the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation in Mauritius.  

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Paul has authored more than 54 journal articles, 5 conference proceedings and 17 other notable publications. Paul has held a C rating with the NRF since 2006 and has graduated 30 masters and doctoral candidates. Many of his Masters and PhD graduates are continuing his legacy in academic institutions and research entities.