Honouring excellence

In early 2018 Massey University was delighted to acknowledge a group of its researchers with its annual research medals.


Photo by Dave Wiltshire

Early Career Medal Award

DR ALEXANDER MELNIKOV
Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences
College of Sciences

Dr Melnikov joined Massey in 2015. Working in the field of computability theory with applications in algebra, he has designed various research topics and published more than 20 research papers. In 2016, he was awarded The New Zealand Mathematical Society Early-Career Award. He is currently the primary investigator for a Marsden Fund project titled ‘The Mathematics of Computation’.


Photo by Dave Wiltshire

Research Supervisor Award

PROFESSOR DIANNE BRUNTON
Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences
College of Sciences

Since joining Massey in 2004, Professor Brunton has supervised 14 PhDs and 18 Master’s degree completions for students from 14 countries. As head of the Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences she is responsible for its graduate studies, where students work on a diverse range of research projects in the fields of ecology and conservation biology.


Photo by Dave Wiltshire

Individual Research Award

PROFESSOR VELMURUGU (RAVI) RAVINDRAN
School of Veterinary Sciences
College of Sciences

A world leader in poultry nutrition, Professor Ravindran is a production animal scientist, who has helped establish the foundations for much of the current understanding of feed enzyme technology, a now well-accepted class of feed additives that help overcome anti-nutritional factors and improve digestion in livestock.


Photo by Dave Wiltshire

Team Research Award

THE FOOD MICROBIOLOGY RESEARCH TEAM
College of Sciences

Led by Professor Steve Flint and Dr Jon Palmer, the Food Microbiology Research Team was formed in 1996 and provides support to a wide range of New Zealand industries. Much of the team’s work focuses on understanding biofilm growth — bacterial clusters that can cause potentially serious illnesses — in the dairy industry, but it has recently branched out to focus on other parts of the food industry, such as meat, seafood, and fruit and vegetables.