Otago's 2013 Early Career Award recipients (from left) Dr Virginia Toy, Dr Lyndie Foster Page, Dr Karen Brounéus, Dr Carla Meledandri and Dr Suetonia Palmer.
The outstanding contributions of five up-and-coming University of Otago academics have been recognised through Early Career Awards for Distinction in Research.
Dr Karen Brounéus (National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies), Dr Lyndie Foster Page (Faculty of Dentistry), Dr Carla Meledandri (Chemistry), Dr Suetonia Palmer (Medicine, Christchurch), and Dr Virginia Toy (Geology) were selected based on their impressive research achievements at an early stage of their career.
Their research spans the psychological aspects of peace-building, improving young people's oral health, developing nanoscale materials for nanomedicine, improving treatment of kidney disease, and structural geology and seismic processes.
Announcing the awards, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) Professor Richard Blaikie says that the five are shining examples of the depth and breadth of talent amongst the University's strong body of up-and-coming researchers.
“I warmly congratulate each on their notable contributions within their disciplines, work which is already creating new knowledge that underpins improvements in health, technology, social wellbeing and our understanding of environmental processes.”
Professor Blaikie says that not only do these talented staff play an important role in the University's current research effort, they are also well-placed to be among Otago's future research leaders.
The Early-Career Award for Distinction in Research includes a $5000 grant for the recipient to use for research and scholarly development.
Recipients also become members of the University's O-Zone Group of early-to-mid-career researchers. O-Zone undertakes activities to promote interdisciplinary thinking and collaborations and to present a positive, clear, innovative, and independent voice for research within the University and beyond.