Victoria Professor becomes Honorary Engineering Fellow

Professor Sir Paul Callaghan has been elected an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers of New Zealand (IPENZ) in recognition of his eminent contribution to application of engineering or technology in the community.

In its annual awards on Friday evening, IPENZ recognised his contribution for explaining to the public, business leaders and politicians the way in which engineering and science need to work together to create the high technology industries to increase New Zealand’s prosperity.

Sir Paul has had an outstanding career in science; he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of London and received the 2005 Rutherford Medal and the 2007 Blake Medal for leadership.

He is internationally recognised for his work in establishing the MacDiarmid Institute of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology; however, it is Sir Paul’s work in technology development that earned him the title of Honorary Fellow.

He played a fundamental role in leading the establishment of New Zealand’s performance-based research funding system for tertiary institutions. In his book Wool to Weta: Transforming New Zealand’s Culture and Economy, Sir Paul emphasises the need for engineering and science to work side by side and he has become a powerful advocate for the engineering, technology and science communities, through public presentations, and behind the scenes work with government.

"This Honorary Fellowship reflects the high esteem in which the engineering profession holds Sir Paul," says IPENZ Chief Executive, Andrew Cleland.