Scientists honoured for innovation with impact
The achievements of the country’s leading scientists were honoured at the New Zealand Research Awards, administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand (RSNZ).Dr Richard Furneaux, leader of the internationally renowned carbohydrate chemistry team and RSNZ Fellow received the 2012 Thompson Medal for “his outstanding and inspirational leadership of carbohydrate chemistry research and its commercial application to biotechnology in New Zealand”.
In its citation, the Royal Society noted that Dr Furneaux had established an international reputation for the research generated by his team and developed commercial applications for research in New Zealand, which has been delivered to over 20 companies.
“Richard’s research, along with a long-standing collaboration with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, has resulted in the development of drugs with potential for treating cancer, gout and malaria,” the Society says.