18 March 2005
IPENZ honours University of Canterbury bioengineer
The Director of the University of Canterbury’s Centre for Bioengineering, Professor Tim David, has been elected a Fellow
of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) for his contribution to the advancement of engineering
knowledge.
The fellowship, which recognizes Professor David’s contribution to the development of computational biofluid mechanics,
was presented at the IPENZ Awards Dinner in Auckland last night.
Since arriving in New Zealand in 2002 the mechanical engineering professor has quickly established a major research
group in bioengineering, including collaborations with Christchurch Hospital.
In announcing the fellowship, IPENZ noted that through his reputation as an accomplished researcher Professor David had
attracted considerable research funding. IPENZ said that as well as demonstrating research excellence, Professor David
was “an academic who truly professes his discipline through wider collegial engagement”.
IPENZ Chief Executive, Andrew Cleland, said becoming a fellow was an honour “bestowed by one’s professional peers on
high-achievers who have made a difference to the engineering profession”.
Professor David said he was “surprised but deeply honoured” to have been made a fellow of IPENZ.
“I hope that by being a fellow I will be able to do a lot more for IPENZ, especially in the bioengineering discipline
which is a growing area.
“Back in the 1960s there were a lot of engineering problems that were outside of the human body. But because of the
pressure on health services in developed countries bioengineering has become very, very important. We need to develop
bioengineering skills in order to try and solve some of the health problems that challenge us.”
The University’s Centre for Bioengineering was established a year ago and is currently researching diseases such as
breast cancer and altherosclerosis and fundamental issues associated with blood flow to the brain.
ENDS