[1][2] In 1952 he was appointed a demonstrator at Kings College at the University of Durham in the UK, before moving to Zanzibar in 1954 to take up a position with the British Colonial Service as a fisheries scientist.
[6] After resigning from the museum in June 1975,[6] Talbot became the foundation professor of environmental studies at Macquarie University in Sydney.
He was a pioneer in the research in coral reef ecosystems, adding greatly to global understanding, including the urgent need for its protection and conservation.
His groundbreaking research on coral reefs in the Red Sea and across the Indo-Pacific brought worldwide attention to these environments, in a time before there was widespread awareness of climate change and marine conservation.
[2] In 1970 he was involved in a significant environmental survey of Lord Howe Island, which included scientists from the Australian Museum, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and the CSIRO.
[6] In 1971 he joined NASA's Tektite II program, in which a group of "Aquanauts" lived in an underwater capsule on the seabed of the Virgin Islands for over two weeks.
[2][3] The Australian Museum wrote on their website: "Professor Talbot was a visionary whose contributions to both academia and public education have left an enduring legacy."