Hon Steven Joyce
Minister of Science & Innovation

30 September 2013

Top researchers awarded Rutherford Discovery Fellowships

Ten of New Zealand’s top early to mid-career researchers have been awarded Rutherford Discovery Fellowships in 2013, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce announced today.

The Fellowships are designed to develop and foster future leaders in the New Zealand science sector. They are funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand.

“The Rutherford Discovery Fellowships provide our emerging scientific leaders each with a funding package of $800,000 over five years, that will allow them to undertake important research that will be valuable for New Zealand’s future,” Mr Joyce says.

“The Fellowships will help attract and retain our most talented early-career researchers and encourage their career development in this country.”

The Rutherford Discovery Fellowships are open to researchers within three to eight years of having completed their PhD. The scheme was established in 2010 and now supports 40 fellows. Their research covers a vast range of topics from language studies to Antarctic research to the search for extra-solar Planets. By 2014, there are expected to be 50 fellows under the scheme.

The 2013 Rutherford Discovery Fellowship recipients are:
• Dr Brendon Bradley, University of Canterbury, for research entitled: “Earth-shattering detective work: Uncovering the mysteries of unresolved ground motion and geotechnical case-histories from the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes.”
• Dr Dillon Mayhew, Victoria University of Wellington, for research entitled: “The mathematics of space and language: matroids and model theory.”
• Dr Robert McKay, Victoria University of Wellington, for research entitled: “Antarctic Ice Sheet-Southern Ocean interactions during greenhouse worlds of the past 23 million years - and consequences for New Zealand climate.”
• Dr Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, University of Cardiff (will be returning to The University of Auckland), for research entitled: “High-frequency brain activity in health and disease.”
• Dr Suetonia Palmer, University of Otago, Christchurch, for research entitled: “Improving evidence for decision-makers in chronic kidney disease.”
• Dr Craig Radford, The University of Auckland, for research entitled: “Using passive acoustics to monitor ecosystem health.”
• Dr Jonathan Sperry, The University of Auckland, for research entitled: “Inert C-H bonds: A gateway to molecular complexity.”
• Dr Elizabeth Stanley, Victoria University of Wellington, for research entitled: “What Happened to Human Rights? Exploring the Changing Status of Human Rights in New Zealand.”
• Dr Daniel Stouffer, University of Canterbury, for research entitled: “Toward a general theory of evolution in ecological networks.”
• Dr Angela Wanhalla, University of Otago, Christchurch, for research entitled: “Marriage: The Politics of Private Life in New Zealand.”

More information is available at: http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/programmes/funds/rutherford-discovery/

ENDS

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