Distinguished Chair

The Distinguished Chair (Poutoko Taiea) award was introduced in 2019 to highlight the work of the University’s highest-achieving professors and to raise the profile of the University’s work to enhance the understanding, development and well-being of individuals, society and the environment.

The Distinguished Chair award will acknowledge professors (Distinguished Professor – Ahorangi Taiea) with highly distinguished accomplishments who have maintained an extraordinary level of activity across their scholarly work and have achieved pre-eminence in their field. They will be recognised for their leadership, as evidenced by their contribution within the broader University community.

The Distinguished Chair is awarded for a fixed period, during which the recipients will be provided with the opportunity to showcase their work and to engage and inspire others.

Seven Sesquicentennial Distinguished Chair appointments were made for 2020, the award’s inaugural year. Thereafter, up to 5 awards will be made biennially, with a maximum of ten Distinguished Chairs held at once (a maximum of 15 during the term of the inaugural appointments).

Applications for the current round of Poutoko Taiea / Distinguished Chair awards closed on 20 May 2024.

View further information about the criteria and application process for the Distinguished Chair awards (PDF)

Poutoko Taiea awards have been made so far to the following Professors:

• 2020 Professor Sally Brooker, Chemistry
• 2020 Professor Greg Cook, Microbiology and Immunology
• 2020 Professor Neil Gemmell, Anatomy
• 2020 Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman, Public Health (UOW)
• 2020 Professor Robert Patman, Politics, School of Social Sciences
• 2020 Professor Jacinta Ruru, Faculty of Law
• 2020 Professor Hamish Spencer, Zoology
• 2023 Professor Phil Bremer, Food Science
• 2023 Professor James Higham, Tourism
• 2023 Professor Lisa Matisoo-Smith, Anatomy
• 2023 Professor David Murdoch, Pathology and Biomedical Science (UOC)
• 2023 Professor Richie Poulton, Psychology
• 2023 Professor Michelle Thompson-Fawcett, School of Geography
• 2025 Professor Cliff Abraham, Psychology
• 2025 Professor Tony Ballantyne, History, School of Arts
• 2025 Professor Peter Dearden, Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences
• 2025 Professor Suetonia Green, Medicine (UOC)
• 2025 Professor Christina Hulbe, School of Surveying
• 2025 Professor Richard Porter, Psychological Medicine (UOC)