MacDiarmid Awards
Judges

Introducing the judges for the 2008 MacDiarmid Young Scientists of the Year Awards

Category Judges

Professor John Hay - Understanding Planet Earth

Professor John Hay is an expert in Environmental Science, Policy and Management, with over 40 years of international work experience in academia, the private sector and government organisations. He is currently Director of John E. Hay and Associates based in Auckland, and is a Visiting Professor at Ibaraki University in Japan. Professor Hay has a particular interest in climatic change (including variability and extremes), with an emphasis on New Zealand and the South Pacific. He is an educator, writer and policy advisor to governments (nationally and internationally) and international organisations. He was a lead author of the recent Fourth Assessment Report prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and was also a lead author for the two previous assessment reports. The IPCC was co-winner (with Al Gore) of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Dr Roger Cooper - Understanding Planet Earth

Dr Roger Cooper is Emeritus Research Scientist with GNS Science. His research ranges over a wide field - macroevolution, graptolite systematics, stratigraphy, regional structure and tectonics - and has involved numerous international collaborations. He led, and was main author of, the Timescale Project, a comprehensive revision of the New Zealand Geological Timescale, and he contributed to revision of the Global Geochronological Scale. Dr Cooper pioneered the application of quantitative biostratigraphy in New Zealand and helped develop a new method for calibration of the global geological timescale that has improved precision by about 10 times. New Zealand's Early Paleozoic geological evolution, structure and tectonic history have been a major interest and led to the development of the two-terrain model to explain the complex relationships of New Zealand's oldest rocks.

Professor Ian Evans - Science and our Society

Professor Ian Evans is Professor of Psychology at Massey University. His PhD was from London University (Institute of Psychiatry) and he has taught at the University of Hawaii, the State University of New York at Binghamton, and the University of Waikato.He has a distinguished record of international research in clinical psychology, the psychobiology of disabilities, child behaviour disorders and behaviour therapy. His work has addressed important contemporary educational policy issues such as parent and community partnerships in education, interventions for modifying challenging behaviour at school and at home and the prevention of school dropout.
Professor Evans is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and of the Association for Psychological Science (USA).

Professor Richie Poulton - Science and our Society

Professor Richie Poulton is Director of the University of Otago's Dunedin multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit which conducts the Dunedin longitudinal study, one of the most detailed studies of human health and development ever undertaken. His PhD was from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, and his major areas of research interest include developmental psychopathology, gene-environment interaction in the prediction of multifactorial disorders, and psychosocial determinants of chronic physical disease. Professor Poulton has published more than 140 peer-reviewed scientific papers and he maintains numerous international research collaborations. In 2004, he was awarded the New Zealand Association of Scientist's Research Medal and the Health Research Council of New Zealand's (inaugural) Liley Medal for Excellence
in Health Research.

Andrew Cleland - Future Science and Technologies

Andrew Cleland is Chief Executive of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ). Prior to joining IPENZ Andrew had a 23 year career at Massey University where he was heavily involved in commercialisation of research and led research programmes in food engineering with particular emphasis on refrigeration of food. A primary focus of that research had been on development of mathematical models that predicted important physical and quality-related parameters (e.g. time/temperature profiles, moisture loss, energy consumption) during exposure of foods to varying environmental conditions during preservation, storage and transport operations. This research was recognised through two international research awards. He now represents the views of the engineering profession on issues such as research and development, economic development, energy, skills and education

Professor Peter Hunter - Future Science and Technologies

Professor Peter Hunter is Director of the Bioengineering Institute at the University of Auckland, Director of Computational Physiology at Oxford University and he holds honorary or visiting professorships at Oxford, Oslo, Osaka and Queensland universities.
He is co-chair of the Physiome Committee of International Union of Physiological Sciences, a project which is developing computational methods for understanding the integrated physiological function of the body. He is also Secretary-General of the World Council of Biomechanics. Professor Hunter has specialist interests is soft tissue biomechanics, electrophysiology and cell biophysics. The Auckland Bioengineering Institute is developing sophisticated computer models of many aspects of living organisms.
His Fellowship of the Royal Society recognises his pioneering work in the field of computational physiology and his impressive achievements and contributions to science. He is also on a number of scientific advisory boards of research institutes internationally.

Dr Bruce Scoggins - Advancing Human Health and Wellbeing

Dr Bruce Scoggins is a director of Bruce A Scoggins and Associates Ltd, a small, specialised consultancy working in the research, science, technology and health sectors in New Zealand and the Pacific. He is an Executive Adviser on Strategy and Partnerships for the Health Research Council of the Pacific. He is also a member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Western Pacific Advisory Committee on Health Research, a member of the New Zealand Injury Prevention Reference Group and a member of the Lottery Health Research Grants Committee. From 1991 – 2006, he was Chief Executive of the Health Research Council of New Zealand, having previously held senior research and academic appointments in Australia and the United States. Dr Scoggins has authored more than 400 research publications.

Professor Jane Harding - Advancing Human Health and Wellbeing

Professor Jane Harding is Professor of Neonatology and acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Auckland.
Both a fetal physiologist and paediatrician, she trained in Oxford as a Rhodes scholar and also studied in Auckland and San Francisco. She was Visiting Assistant Professor in the University of California's San Francisco Division of Neonatology before returning to Auckland as a Senior Lecturer in Paediatrics (Neonatology).Professor Harding is a recognised international authority on the regulation of fetal growth, placental function and the treatment and consequences of under nourishment in the womb. She leads the Fetal and Neonatal Physiology research group at the Liggins Institute, which is the University of Auckland’s medical research institute. Current research projects include clinical trials and physiological studies in preterm and growth restricted newborns and the long term consequences of impaired fetal growth.

Dr Allan Crawford - Adding Value to Nature

Dr Allan Crawford is a principal scientist in AgResearch’s Animal Genomics Section. He is recognised internationally for his contribution to research underpinning sheep genomics, being one of the first people to realise the value of simple sequence repeats or microsatellite markers in genetic linkage studies.
His work establishing the first genetic linkage map of sheep is now used in genetic linkage studies for discovering genes associated with increased ovulation, improved carcass composition, resistance to parasitic nematodes and facial eczema disease. This knowledge is important to the animal biotechnology sector. More recently his interests have focused on establishing a possum EST (expressed sequence tag) database. Dr Crawford’s doctorate in insect viruses is from Otago University. He retains an interest in biocontrol of insect pests using pathogens and parasites, and has recently published a description the genes expressed in the venom glands of parasitoid wasps.

Professor Jacqueline Rowarth - Adding Value to Nature

Professor Jacqueline Rowarth holds the Foundation? Chair in Pastoral Agriculture at Massey University and is also the university’s Director of Massey Agriculture. Previous to this appointment, she was Director of the Office for Environmental Programs at the University of Melbourne. Professor Rowarth has a PhD in soil science from Massey University, has worked in plant improvement with AgResearch and taught plant science at Lincoln University. Much of her research throughout the past 25 years has focused on efficient use of fertiliser and evaluation of new plant species and cultivars. She is an active scientist with a strong commitment to technology transfer. She holds several awards, including her election as a Companion of the Royal Society of New Zealand, recognising her pre-eminence in the promotion of science and technology. She is also an elected Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural Science.

Communication Judges

Philip Simpson

Philip Simpson was raised on a farm and plant nursery at Uruwhenua, Takaka, where his love of New Zealand’s native plants first took root. He studied plant anatomy at the University of Canterbury and completed a doctorate on the Joshua Tree at the University of California. He has since worked as a botanist for the Department of Conservation and is a founding member of Project Crimson - a charitable conservation Trust that aims to protect New Zealand’s native Christmas trees - pohutukawa and rata. His books have twice been recognised in the Montana New Zealand Book Awards – in 2001 Dancing Leaves: The story of New Zealand’s cabbage tree - tī kouka, won the Environment category and in 2006, Pohutukawa and Rata: New Zealand’s Iron-hearted Trees won the Environment category and received the Montana Medal for non fiction.

Bill Boyd

Bill Boyd is the Group Manager Marketing and Communications at the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. He joined the Foundation from the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority (EECA) where he was in a similar role. Previous roles include Marketing Manager at Contact Energy and United Electricity. Bill is an experienced senior manager with expertise in communications, marketing and stakeholder management. He originally trained as an industrial chemist before moving into marketing and communications. He also holds an MBA (Distinction) from Massey University, and has an extensive background in the technical and science sectors.

Professor Judy Motion

Professor Judy Motion is Professor of Marketing and Management in the commerce faculty at the University of Wollongong. Before taking up this position early in 2008, she was Professor of Communication in the Department of Management Communication at the University of Waikato, and has taught and researched at several universities in Australasia. The main strand of Professor Motion’s research involves developing an understanding of the socio-cultural and political impacts of communication strategies and practices. Recent work examines the implications of public perceptions on biotechnology for public policy and science organisations. Professor Motion is the Australasian Associate Editor of the Journal of Communication Management and a member of editorial boards of several international journals.

Panel Judges

Professor Richard Faull (Chair)

Professor Richard Faull, of the Department of Anatomy with Radiology at the University of Auckland, is recognised nationally and internationally as a leading expert on the anatomy and chemistry of the mammalian brain and on neurodegenerative diseases of the human brain. His publication record and research spans 35 years and encompasses all major regions of the brain and spinal cord, as well as the science of the diseased human brain in Huntington's, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, epilepsy and schizophrenia. In 2005 he was appointed as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) and was awarded the prestigious Liley Medal by the Health Research Council of New Zealand for outstanding contributions to medical research. In 2007 Professor Faull received the Rutherford Medal, the highest honour for New Zealand scientists, for his contributions to brain research.

Professor Carolyn Burns

Carolyn Burns is a Professor of Zoology at the University of Otago, where her research centres on biological processes in lakes, particularly in relation to plankton and microbial food webs, water quality and the management of freshwater ecosystems. She pioneered the use of radioisotopes and micronic beads to characterise trophic processes and develop quantitative models that are still in use today. Professor Burn’s PhD is from the University of Toronto, Canda, followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Yale University in the United States. Through her university teaching, membership of editorial boards of international journals in aquatic science, and work with national and international limnological organisations, she has promoted, supported and strengthened scientific research on lakes in New Zealand and throughout the world. In 2007, she was awarded the Naumann-Thienemann Medal, the highest honour that can be bestowed internationally for outstanding scientific contributions to limnology.

Professor Peter Jackson

Professor Peter Jackson is Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Engineering) at the University of Canterbury. He gained his PhD at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom and was a professor in mechanical engineering at the University of Auckland before taking up his current appointment. He has an international reputation for research on wind engineering, yachts and low speed aerodynamics. His specialist interests are in fluid mechanics and thermodynamics, particularly applications in wind engineering and the aerodynamics of flexible membranes such as sails. Professor Jackson is recognised within industry for his commitment to encouraging young engineering graduates into the profession. He is a fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers (IPENZ), a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Professor Charles Daugherty

Professor Charles Daugherty is Assistant Vice-Chancellor, Research, at Victoria University of Wellington and a researcher for the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology.He is an expert in scientific basis of conservation, with a research interest that focuses on evolutionary and population biology of vertebrates, conservation genetics and ecological restoration. The conservation biology of tuatara is a longstanding interest, and recent studies with his students have examined the ecological relationships of tuatara to seabirds and rats, temperature-dependent sex determination, and the re-establishment of tuatara in nature.Professor Daugherty completed a PhD in Zoology at the University of Montana and took up post doctoral studies in evolutionary genetics at the University of Illinois. He was appointed to Victoria University in 1982. His services to conservation and biology are marked with several awards and honours including his appointment as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.