SMC Backgrounder: Professor Peter Gluckman, newly appointed Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor
Professor Peter Gluckman, the founding
director of the Liggins Institute and a world-leading
medical researcher, was today named the Prime Minister’s
Chief Science Advisor.
Here’s the official announcement from Prime Minister John Key.
An up-to-date biography of Professor Gluckman is published on the Liggins Institute website.
You can read excerpts from Professor Gluckman’s acclaimed book Mismatched here.
In 2004, Professor Gluckman was voted New Zealander of the Year by the New Zealand Herald.
The role of Chief Science Advisor:
The National Party last year revealed in its Research, Science and Technology policy paper (read the paper and a review of it by the New Zealand Association of Scientists here) that it planned to put "science at the heart of Government" by creating a new role - the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor.
The stated roles of the
Chief Science Advisor were to include:
- providing input
to ministers on science and research policy
- Guide
ministers on policy options and not just on science policy
issues.
- Maintain networks with scientists to keep
up-to-date with the best scientific advice.
- Act as a
conduit between the Government and the scientific
community.
Government-appointed chief scientists in other countries:
United Kingdom
Ireland
USA
Australia
Scotland
_
Feedback from the
scientific community (so far):
University of Auckland Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stuart McCutcheon: "The establishment of this new office demonstrates government recognition of the importance of science in New Zealand's future, Professor Gluckman's appointment to the role reflects his distinguished research career and contributions to the New Zealand scientific community."
AgResearch's Chief Executive, Dr Andrew
West: "This is an important step in the reinvigoration
of science within New Zealand's culture from being
nice-to-have to being essential. The Prime Minister's
message in this appointment is that scientific contribution
must once again be a significant component of New Zealand's
well-being and prosperity.
"I believe the appointment of
Professor Gluckman is inspirational given his unwavering
commitment to New Zealand and his reputation as one of the
best scientists in the world. He has a lot of challenging
work ahead of him to rehabilitate science within New Zealand
and I, and many others, will do all we can to assist. The
appointment of the Chief Science Advisor to the Prime
Minister is partly in reflection of a ground-up scientific
movement expressed in the formation of the National Science
Panel. That Panel should take great credit for, and heart
from, this success. The Panel has been wonderful for New
Zealand science."
ENDS