Prof Probert, of the Otago department, was surprised and ''very chuffed'' to receive the New Zealand Marine Sciences Society Award, at the society's recent annual conference, in Nelson.
His research interests had focused on sea bed ecology and biodiversity and how the productivity of such ''benthic'', or sea bed, communities were affected by what was happening elsewhere in the marine environment, he said.
Otago marine science department head Associate Prof Abby Smith said the society honour was a ''thoroughly deserved award for a thoroughly good person''.
Prof Smith this week paid tribute to strong contributions by Prof Probert to research on sea bed communities both near the Otago coast and, in association with Niwa researchers, on the Chatham Rise.
He was an ''extremely modest'' man who contributed strongly to marine science in Dunedin and and elsewhere, including as a ''very effective'' and influential university thesis supervisor.
English-born, Prof Probert emigrated to New Zealand with his wife Jan and took up a full-time post as manager at Otago University's Portobello marine laboratory in 1988.
He later became part of the Otago marine science department when it was established in 1992.
He had also earlier worked at the Portobello laboratory (1973-78), initially under then laboratory director Dr Betty Batham.