James (Jim) Specht was a PhD scholar in the Department of Anthropology, Research School of Pacific Studies at the Australian National University in 1965. He was part of an archaeological group which carried out fieldwork studying Lapita pottery in Watom Island, near Raboul, and in Talasea, on the mid-north coast of New Britain. He was awarded a Ph.D for his thesis: Prehistoric and modern pottery industries of Buka Island, T.P.N.G. (1969). Specht joined the Australian Museum in June 1971. From 1991, he was Head of the Division of Anthropology and was Chief Scientist from 1997-2000 before retiring in November 2000.