In 1958, Price began working in the Petroleum Geology Section of the
Geological Survey of Canada. For the next ten years he studied the structure and tectonics of the
Cordillera of western Canada, mapping its geological features.
In 1968, he left the Geological Survey to work at
Queen's University as an associate professor. Between 1972 and 1977, he was the head of the Department of Geological Sciences. From 1978 to 1980, Price was a Killam Research Fellow.
From 1980 to 1985, Price was the president of the International Lithosphere Program.
In 1981, Price returned to the Geological Survey to be director-general. He held that position as well as the assistant deputy minister in the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources in Ottawa for the next 7 years.
From 1988 to 1998, Price was a professor at Queen’s University. From 1989 to 1990, he was president of the Geological Society of America.
Since 1998, Price has been professor
emeritus of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering at Queen's. He continues to conduct research and to supervise thesis research projects.
Research
Price’s structural geology and tectonic mapping of the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains provided new insights on the evolution of the Cordilleran foreland
thrust and
fold belt in Canada. He has also researched the role of
science in
public policy development, nuclear fuel waste disposal, earth system science, and the human dimensions of global change.
1957, awarded a Procter Fellow by Princeton University
1955, awarded the Gold Medal in Sciences by the University of Manitoba
Select publications
Price, R.A., 1956. "The base of the Cambrian system in the southeastern Cordillera of Canada". Canadian Mining and Metallurgical Bulletin, Vol. 49, pp. 765–771.
Norris, D.K., and Price, R.A. 1956. "Coal Mountain, British Columbia". Geological Survey of Canada Map 4-1956.
Price, R.A., 1959. "Flathead, British Columbia and Alberta". Geological Survey of Canada Map 1-1959.
Price, R.A. and
Mountjoy, E.W., 1970. "The geological structure of the Southern Canadian Rockies between Bow and Athabasca Rivers, -- A progress report", in "A structural cross-section of the Southern Canadian Cordillera", J.O. Wheeler, editor, Geological Association of Canada, Special Paper Number 6, pp. 7–25.