Hunt was one of the pioneers in the emerging field of organic geochemistry, a field that now enables scientists to use carbon compounds to look at oceanographic and geological systems. He is recognized worldwide as one of the leading scholars synthesizing geological, geophysical and geochemical information from diverse studies to provide powerful new insights pertaining to the origin of oil and gas. Prior to joining WHOI in 1964, he assembled a group of petroleum geochemists that developed some of the first subsurface geochemical techniques for use by operating geologists in oil exploration. Hunt served as chairman of the new Chemistry and Geology Department, where he built one of the leading chemical oceanography/marine geochemistry departments in the world. His contributions on the origin of hot brines and anoxic depositional environments resulted from expeditions and cruises to the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Black Sea in the 1960s and 1970s. He also researched carbonate source rocks, the origin of light hydrocarbons, and oil migration. He wrote the classic textbook Petroleulm Geochemistry and Geology in 1979 as well as more than 50 papers in the decade following his retirement as chairman in 1974. He also taught petroleum geochemistry courses all over the world. During the course of his career he served as a journal editor, lecturer, and member of numerous organizations including JOIDES (Joint Oceanographic Institutions for Deep Earth Sampling) Panel on Organic Geochemistry. His interests in later years included pressure seals, light hydrocarbons, and kinetics of petroleum generation. In 1982 Hunt was the first American recipient of the Triebs Medal of the Geochemical Society for outstanding contributions in organic geochemistry. The program of the organic geochemistry of ancient sediments continues today with his colleague, Jean Whelan.