NZBio congratulates young scientists
“NZBio congratulates the overall winner of the MacDiarmid Young Scientist of the Year Awards, Claire French, for her
work towards developing a new cell identification technique.
“A discovery of this type, which has the potential to provide additional evidence in sex crimes is a tremendous
achievement for a scientist at any stage of their career. It is particularly impressive in someone still in their mid
twenties,” NZBio CEO Brian Ward says.
Currently working with ESR, Claire has found a method of identifying which part of the body cell samples collected for
DNA testing come from, something which has not been possible in the past.
“The runner up Dr Rod Lea, also of ESR, is involved in another important area – researching the links between genetic
makeup and nicotine addiction. Dr Lea’s work on disease susceptibility genes among indigenous groups could potentially
enhance understanding of health risks for Maori and so ensure health services can be targeted most effectively.
“NZBio supports the MacDiarmid Awards because they recognize excellent research, science and technology while promoting
the importance of good science communication.”
The Awards also help to recognize young scientists at an early stage in their careers.
“Young scientists are important to New Zealand, as they are the source of future innovation and the engine that will
help the biotech industry develop. NZBio hopes all the entrants in this year’s MacDiarmid Awards will go on to further
scientific and commercial success.”
Ends