Peter Wadhams is acknowledged internationally as a leading expert on sea ice and polar oceanography, and his collaboration with the Royal Navy gave early access to the use of submarines to gather invaluable data on the rapid thinning of Arctic sea-ice. His doctoral thesis, The effect of a sea ice cover on ocean surface waves, was based at Scott Polar Research institute in Cambridge. He subsequently undertook post-doctoral research at the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Victoria, BC, Canada, working on sea ice structure and dynamics in the Beaufort Sea and on the impact of oil spills an interest he has maintained throughout his career. He returned to SPRI in 1976 and was director of SPRI from 1987 to 1992.

Peter has participated in over 45 research cruises to both polar regions, held visiting professorships in various countries, and coordinated and contributed to major EU-funded polar research projects. He is a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Environment Agency.