Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi 2019 Research Honours

Last night, two of our industry-facing research stars were recognised for their research at the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi 2019 Research Honours.

Professor Cather Simpson was awarded the Pickering Medal which recognises excellence and innovation in the practical applications of technology.

Cather was recognised for her pioneering research and commercialisation of innovative photonic technologies, which are addressing challenges with a New Zealand focus and global impact. She has developed this technique for micromachining and microfabrication and she has also spun out the technology to solve problems in New Zealand’s agricultural sector. These include being able to sort sperm by sex and assess the composition of milk for every cow at every milking.

Professor Keith Gordon was awarded the MacDiarmid Medal which is for outstanding scientific research that demonstrates the potential for application for human benefit.

This award was for his innovative use of spectroscopy to understand the molecular structure of a wide range of materials – from solar cells, fish oils, to plastics in the environment. His research has optimised solar cells and he has developed methods to identify the different crystalline forms of pharmaceuticals, even at the nano-scale. He has also developed methods to assess the quality and composition of foodstuffs, including dairy, fish and horticultural products.

Congratulations, Keith and Cather!

‍