University’s top researchers elected as Fellows

University’s top researchers elected as Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand

Seven of the University of Auckland’s leading researchers were among 12 New Zealanders elected as Fellows of the Royal Society this week.
The University of Auckland

22 October 2015

University’s top researchers elected as Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand
Seven of the University of Auckland’s leading researchers were among 12 New Zealanders elected as Fellows of the Royal Society this week.
“Election as a Fellow of the Royal Society is a great distinction and we’re delighted that our researchers have been recognised for their academic excellence and leadership in their fields,” says Distinguished Professor Jane Harding, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research). “The University of Auckland has a well-earned reputation for research excellence and these awards are testament to the dedication and expertise of our very talented staff.”
The new Fellows are:

Professor Grant Covic from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering works principally in power electronics and electromagnetics and is a pioneer of inductive power transfer technology (IPT), now used globally to charge electronic devices wirelessly. Professor Covic is currently working on the electrification of roads for wirelessly charging electric vehicles. Professor Covic was awarded the Prime Minister’s Science Prize in 2013 with his colleague Professor John Boys FRSNZ.

Professor Alexei Drummond from the Department of Computer Science specialises in probabilistic models at the intersection of computational biology, phylogenetics, population genetics, epidemiology and evolution. He is a world leader in Bayesian inference for phylogenetics and population genetics and is a leader in the development of the internationally renowned open scientific software package BEAST and related statistical methodology. He is founder of scientific software company Biomatters Ltd, which has won awards for its commercial software Geneious.

Professor Edward Gane from the School of Medicine and the New Zealand Liver Transplant Unit has led world-class clinical research in viral liver disease that underpins new curative drugs to treat chronic liver infections such as hepatitis, giving new hope to thousands of patients worldwide. Professor Gane has improved awareness and testing for both hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus infections in New Zealand and, as Chief Transplant Physician, he has overseen 600 liver transplants with outcomes comparable to the largest units in Europe or the US.

Professor Thomas Lumley from Department of Statistics has made outstanding contributions both to statistical theory and to statistical practice. He has developed new statistical methodology, most notably network meta-analysis and case-crossover designs, and developed specialist software packages. He is a member of the international core development team of the R Project: a software environment for statistical computing and graphics. He has collaborated in major studies investigating the effects of genetics and air pollution on heart and lung disease.

Professor Keith Petrie from Department of Psychological Medicine has made significant contributions to health, medicine and psycho-immunology. His Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ) is widely cited, and its use has advanced the understanding of how people perceive and respond to illness, with implications for recovery. He is also a leader in the study of "modern health worries" – the public perception of risks associated with modern technology, often creating a nocebo effect and leading people to resort to alternative therapies.

Dean of Engineering, Professor Nicolas Smith is a world-leading researcher in computational biology, with a focus on models of heart function. His research is focussed on electrophysiology and muscle contraction at the cellular level and the translation of these models to simulate blood flow and cardiac function at the tissue level.

Associate Professor Janet Wilmshurstfrom the Department of Environment and Landcare Research is at the leading edge of New Zealand and global research in fields of pre-historic plant and animal ecology, climate change, fire disturbance, archaeology and restoration ecology. She uses a wide range of fossil types in her research, including pollen, seeds, charcoal, coprolites, bird bones, ancient DNA, dung fungi and amoebae. Her work on rats has provided deep insights into the Polynesian settlement of New Zealand and the Pacific, resolving long-standing controversies over its timing and impacts.

The Royal Society of New Zealand now has 404 Fellows and 59 Honorary Fellows. Fellows are involved in providing expert advice, promoting best and innovative research practice and disseminating information on the sciences, technology and humanities.

ENDS

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