Victoria scientists scoop sought-after awards
Three Victoria University of Wellington researchers are among a small group of emerging New Zealand scientists to receive highly sought-after Rutherford Discovery Fellowships from the Royal Society of New Zealand.
Dr Huw Horgan, a senior lecturer in Victoria’s School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences and Antarctic Research Centre, Dr Baptiste Auguié, a former postdoctoral fellow in the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences and Dr Jeremy Owen, a senior lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences, have each been awarded funding of $800,000 over five years.
Victoria University staff received three of 10 fellowships announced by Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce, which are designed to support future leaders in the New Zealand science and innovation system by encouraging their career development and enabling them to establish a solid track record in their field of expertise.
Dr Huw Horgan’s research will investigate the processes that allow the rapid flow of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet into the world’s oceans.
“Using remote sensing, geophysical methods and direct access, we will examine the conditions at the base of the ice sheet that will determine the rate and magnitude of sea level rise over the coming centuries.
“I feel immensely privileged to receive this fellowship, and excited about the opportunity to undertake the research.”
Dr Baptiste Auguié will study nano-sized objects with a twisted, helix-like structure.
“My main aim is to advance knowledge of the fundamental physics at play when light interacts with a twisted structure at the nanoscale. As we develop new tools to probe such structures with light, more and more technological applications will emerge.
“I have benefited from excellent support from the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, the Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies and colleagues at both Victoria University and the University of Auckland, and look forward to strengthening these connections.”
Dr Jeremy Owen’s fellowship will be used to generate new biologically active small molecules that are useful in the development of new antibiotics.
This work aligns with Dr Owen’s Health Research Council-funded project alongside Associate Professor David Ackerley, which aims to address the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.
Professor Mike Wilson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Victoria’s Faculty of Science, says the awards are a significant achievement.
“It is immensely satisfying to see these researchers being supported to reach their potential, and make a contribution to New Zealand. It’s also fantastic national recognition of the calibre of scientific research capability at Victoria.”
In addition to the Rutherford Discovery Fellowships, two Postdoctoral Fellowships from the Rutherford Foundation Trust were awarded to scientists who will carry out their research at Victoria.
These awards provide support to promising young researchers, and include a $75,000 stipend per year for the next two years, plus up to $10,000 each year for research-related costs.
Dr Carolyn Boulton comes to Victoria from a postdoctoral role at the University of Liverpool. She will study the mechanical behaviour of the Hikurangi Subduction Zone while based in Victoria’s School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, and her research will result in a better understanding of the hazard this seismically active fault poses to New Zealand.
Dr Nick Monahan, a Victoria alumnus who returned to Wellington last year after completing his PhD at Columbia University, will look at the fundamental physical principles governing the efficient formation of electricity in organic solar cells.
A current Victoria University student was also awarded a Rutherford Foundation Cambridge-Rutherford Memorial PhD Scholarship.
Master of Biomedical Science student Effie Christoforou will carry out her PhD at Cambridge University’s Centre of Trophoblast Research, studying the endocrine function of the placenta and how it determines the health of the mother and her offspring.