Innovative mechanical engineer wins 2017 research medal

Innovative mechanical engineer wins 2017 research medal

A University of Canterbury academic whose pioneering work has real-world impact that ranges from intensive care medicine for babies to earthquake engineering has won the University of Canterbury 2017 Research Medal.

The University Council has announced the medal will be awarded to Distinguished Professor Geoffrey Chase, of UC Mechanical Engineering, who specialises in dynamic systems modelling and control applied to medicine and structures, with focus on intensive/acute care medicine and earthquake engineering.

The annual award goes to a University of Canterbury researcher whose work has been recognised as truly world class, Professor Ian Wright, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), says.

“Professor Chase has initiated, developed and successfully applied a novel area of Bio-Engineering research with a very strong clinical-applications focus called Model-Based Therapeutics (MBT) for cardiovascular diagnostics. He is a pioneer of MBT and the first to use virtual (computer-based) trials to design a therapeutic protocol that is now a regular standard of care both in New Zealand, parts of the European Union, and Malaysia,” Professor Wright says.

“His research also pursues solutions in many other areas of medicine, which include clinical practice changes in the Neonatal ICU for glycaemic control and novel very low-cost methods of diagnosing type 2 diabetes before the ability to intervene and reduce long-term costs is passed, and low-cost and non-invasive means of breast cancer diagnosis.”

The Research Medal is the highest honour that the University Council can extend to its academic staff in recognition of research excellence.

The 2017 medal will be officially presented to Distinguished Professor Chase by UC Chancellor Dr John Wood later this year at a Council dinner.

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