Murray graduated from the University of Birmingham in 1993, where he also gained a PhD 1997.^[1] He has held academic posts at the University of the South Pacific, and Brunel University (UK). He was appointed professor of human geography and development studies in 2010 at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, which he joined in 2001. He has held sabbatical posts as visiting professor in geography at Cambridge University (UK) (2019, 2022) and Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile (Chile) (2017) as well as in Latin American studies at Oxford University (UK) (2015). Murray retired from Victoria University of Wellington in October 2023. He teaches human geography at Durham University, UK.^{[citation needed]}

In 2006, Murray won a New Zealand National Tertiary Teaching Award for Sustained Excellence, and in 2007 the New Zealand Geographical Society (NZGS) President's Award for Teaching Excellence.^[2] He was awarded the NZGS President's Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision in 2015 in recognition of supervision of research on Latin America.^[3] In 2019, he won the Distinguished New Zealand Geographer Medal which is the highest honour in New Zealand geography.^[4]

Murray has published books, articles, or chapters in the fields of development, rural, and economic geography, focusing especially on Chile and Latin America, as well as the Pacific Islands, the Asia Pacific and New Zealand.^[5] He is a commentator on national television and radio on international development issues and Latin American affairs,^[6] and is the author of the books Geographies of Globalization and Aid and Development co-authored with Professor John Overton. In 2022 Ethical Value Networks (co-edited with John Overton and Kelle Howson) was published. From 2002-10 and 2016-20, he was the editor-in-chief of the journal Asia Pacific Viewpoint, and is the Chair of the editorial board. In 2007 he founded the Victoria Institute for Links with Latin America and has also served as Co-President of the Association of Iberian and Latin American Studies of Australasia and President of the Council for Latin American Studies of Asia and Oceania. He was Vice-President of the New Zealand Geographical Society (2017–19) and President (2020-21).^{[citation needed]}

Murray is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. A four-part show featuring original songs he plays in lectures called The Singing Geographer aired on National Radio New Zealand in 2012/13.^[2] He has released five New Zealand albums with The Strait Shooters ('That's All We Have Time For' 2017), Funky Jandal ('See You At The End Boys, 2019), and The Fabulous Murray Brothers ('Sing It Chap', 2018; 'Far Too Long - 30 Years Together', 2019; and, 'Smile', 2021). 'Sing It Chap!' peaked at #6 in the New Zealand Albums Top 20 and at #1 on the New Zealand Heatseeker chart of January 22, 2018.^[7][8] He has released four solo albums, 'Paekakariki Moon', 2017; 'Falling Gently', 'The Emerald Hills', 2020; and 'Golden One', 2022.^{[citation needed]}

Born in Edgbaston, Birmingham and raised in Hereford, England, where he graduated from the local Sixth Form College.^[9] Murray lived in Wellington, New Zealand, until October 2023. He now lives near Cambridge, UK.^{[citation needed]}

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