Dr Steve Killops has been active in the field of organic geochemistry for some 20 years, in both academic and commercial sectors. He is a former lecturer in organic geochemistry at Royal Holloway College, London University and more recently the organic geochemist at the Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences in New Zealand. He is currently a consultant petroleum geochemist.

Vanessa Killops is a geologist and organic geochemist and has worked in petroleum exploration. She has also worked in New Zealand at the Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences as a contract geological scientist and in the UK on a consultancy basis.