Media Release
2 September 2014
Aquatics Technical Team Leader makes the KuDos Award finals
Dudley Bell’s contribution to science has been recognised with selection as a finalist in the Hill Laboratories
Technician/Technologist section of the 2014 KuDos Awards.
Dudley has worked at the University of Waikato since 1978 and, from June 2014, has been the Technical Team Leader –
Aquatic in the School of Science. Dudley was previously the Technical Manager for Biological Sciences for more than 25
years.
His work is primarily involved with research in marine and freshwater ecology, supporting graduate and staff research,
facilitating technical staff support across all biological disciplines and developing teaching and research facilities.
He received a University of Waikato Staff Merit Award in 1993 in recognition of a pivotal co-ordination role in the
successful development and installation of R Block facilities.
“To be a KuDos finalist feels like recognition of a lifetime of technical work at the highest level in science,” says
Dudley.
“Working in this field has given me great satisfaction not just in progressing my own career goals, but helping the
technical staff progress in their careers as well.”
Dudley has supported research in Antarctica on a number of occasions and is cited as an author on three publications
from this work.
In 2003, Dudley was jointly instrumental in developing the first fully functional electro-fishing boat in New Zealand.
Utilising components sourced from overseas and working with a boat building company in Rotorua, the team designed, had
built and commissioned the boat which has subsequently been responsible for the production of many research reports on
the status of freshwater fish species throughout the North Island. Dudley is the principle skipper of this vessel. He is
cited as an author on 17 reports relating to the science.
The KuDos Awards were launched in 2007 to celebrate science in the region. This year’s winners will be announced at an
awards dinner on 9 October.
ends