Twelve New Professors Appointed At Auckland Uni

10 February 2011

Twelve associate professors at The University of Auckland have been promoted to professor.

Promotion to professor is a mark of distinction, recognising professional and academic eminence at an international level.

The new professors are from the Faculties of Arts, Engineering, Medical and Health Sciences, and Science.

Professor Winston Byblow (Department of Sport and Exercise Science) has achieved scholarly eminence as a neuroscientist. He investigates how the brain controls movement, and the brain’s capacity for recovery after disease or injury that impairs movement. He is optimistic that his research will improve motor rehabilitation for stroke sufferers by providing clinicians and therapists with better tools. Professor Byblow has produced 95 peer-reviewed publications including 85 journal articles. He is an investigator within the University's Centre for Brain Research and Director of the Movement Neuroscience Laboratory.

Professor Rod Dunbar (School of Biological Sciences) is Director of the Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, a national network of scientists and doctors developing new therapies, vaccines and diagnostics. His primary research field is human cellular immunology, especially developing therapies for cancer that exploit the immune system; his lab is also working with other human cells that have therapeutic potential, such as stem cells. Professor Dunbar has contributed 98 publications to peer-reviewed journals including top biomedical journals such as Science and Nature Medicine.

Professor Matthias Ehrgott (Department of Engineering Science) is an authority in operations research where the likes of mathematics, computer science and management intersect. He specialises in modeling and solving multiple criteria decision-making problems. His research spans the spectrum from theory across algorithm development to real world application and implementation, for example in transportation and medicine. Professor Ehrgott has established himself as a leading contributor to the field internationally and his book on multicriteria optimisation is used as a reference and in teaching around the world.

Professor Annie Goldson (Department of Film, Television and Media Studies) is best known for her acclaimed documentaries which include Punitive Damage, An Island Calling, Georgie Girl, Elgar’s Enigma, Sheilas: 28 Years On, and Pacific Solution. Her films have won over 50 awards at international film festivals and are known as both politically engaged and formally innovative. They have been broadcast on most major broadcast outlets, including the BBC and HBO. She is currently completing a feature documentary Brother Number One for international cinema and broadcast release later this year. Annie initiated the biennial conference, Expanding Documentary, in 1996 and was President of the Screen Directors’ Guild of NZ from 2005-2008. She is also a writer, publishing widely in journals and books. Annie received an ONZM for services to film in 2008.

Professor Ian Kirk (Department of Psychology) is co-director of the Research Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, and investigates the neural systems involved in mnemonic and attentional processes. He also has interests in neurogenetics, in cerebral asymmetries, in music perception and production, as well as in cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia and Asperger’s Syndrome. His work has been supported by grants from the NZ Royal Society (Marsden), the Health Research Council, and the US National Institutes of Health.

Professor Thegn Ladefoged (Department of Anthropology) is an archaeologist who has directed and collaborated on major research projects in Hawai’i and Easter Island. His work investigates the ecodynamics of agricultural development and socio-political transformation using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other spatial analytical tools. Thegn’s work in the Pacific has attracted substantial grants from leading national and international funding agencies, and his publications provide critical insights into the management and exploitation of fragile island environments.

Professor Suzanne Purdy (Department of Psychology) is Head of Speech Science which she established as a discipline at the University in 2003. Speech Science’s Master of Speech Language Therapy Practice, a first for New Zealand, was accredited in 2005. Her research on hearing loss, cochlear implants, auditory electrophysiology, treatment of auditory processing disorder, language disorders in children, brain injury, stuttering and noise in the workplace spans many aspects of speech science and communication disorders and has appeared in leading journals. Her research on identification and management of hearing and auditory processing in children has had considerable international and national impact on clinical practice.

Professor John Read (Department of Psychology) worked for 20 years as a clinical psychologist and manager of mental health services before joining the University. His main research interests are: the psycho-social causes of psychosis, primary prevention, attitudes towards “mental illness”, and the role of the pharmaceutical industry in clinical research and practice. He is editor of the international peer-reviewed journal Psychosis: Psychological, Social and Integrative Approaches.

Professor Robert Scragg (School of Population Health) has research interests in the prevention of obesity and tobacco smoking in children, diabetes, and the relationship between vitamin D and cardiovascular disease in adults. He has worked on major epidemiological studies including the NZ Cot Death Study which resulted in a halving of the cot death rate in the 1990s. He has over 200 peer-reviewed publications, and has recently been awarded funding by the Health Research Council to lead a major clinical trial to determine whether vitamin D supplements are beneficial for health.

Professor Peter Sheppard (Department of Anthropology) is an authority on archaeological science, and the prehistory and ethnohistory of Melanesia particularly the Solomon Islands. He has worked in the Solomons for the last 15 years, concentrating on the islands of New Georgia and Vella Lavella. His election last year as a Fellow of the London Society of Antiquaries, the world’s oldest archaeological association established nearly 300 years ago, recognised his contribution to archaeology in the Pacific region.

Professor Bruce Smaill (Auckland Bioengineering Institute) is interested in the muscular architecture of the heart and how this affects electrical and mechanical function in normal and diseased hearts. His research with colleagues in Auckland has been influential in the field. It combines structural imaging, experimental studies and computer modelling, and involves a team of physiologists, bioengineers and clinicians. He is deputy director of the Auckland Bioengineering Institute and is also a long-standing member of the Department of Physiology.

Professor Xun Xu (Department of Mechanical Engineering) specialises computer-aided design and manufacturing. His research team is at the international forefront in working to develop the next generation computer numerical control (CNC) systems that are more intelligent, interoperable and adaptable. Professor Xu leads the Faculty of Engineering’s “Innovation in Manufacturing and Materials” research theme. He is one of only two New Zealanders elected as a Fellow of the prestigious American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

ENDS

© Scoop Media