Wednesday 11 November 2009 2:57pm
Three University of Otago scientists are among the ten leading New Zealand scientists elected as Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand at the annual general meeting of the Society's Academy today.
Otago's new Fellows are:
- Dr Philip Boyd (NIWA/Department of Chemistry), who is internationally recognised for his work in the field of oceanography and the productivity of the global ocean.
- Professor Andrew Mercer (Department of Microbiology and Immunology), who is widely recognised as New Zealand's most eminent virologist working on understanding viruses at the molecular level to help with the development of vaccines.
- Professor Hamish Spencer (Department of Zoology), who is a world-renowned theoretical population geneticist best known for his work on genomic imprinting.
Announcing the ten new Fellows, Academy chairperson Professor David Thorns said the high calibre of the nominees made the selection process challenging.
"Being elected as a Fellow is an honour given to our top scientists for showing distinction in pure or applied research or in the advancement of science and technology.
"The research of these new Fellows reflects the wide range of work that scientists are undertaking in research institutions around New Zealand. I am very pleased to announce their election today."
The Royal Society of New Zealand now has 347 Fellows and 54 Honorary Fellows. Fellows are involved in providing expert advice, promoting scientific best practice and disseminating scientific information.
A list of Otago experts available for media comment is available elsewhere on this website.
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