John Reynolds
University of Otago scientists Dr John Reynolds and Dr
Ashton Bradley have both gained prestigious Rutherford
Discovery Fellowships of up to $1 million each.
This will allow Dr Reynolds to pursue research aimed at
improving brain function after strokes, while Dr Bradley will
pursue the study of super-fluids.
The research fellowships each provide up to $200,000 a year
over five years, including a contribution towards salaries
and research costs.
The two Otago University researchers are among a record eight
Dunedin scientists to gain national science honours in a
recent annual awards ceremony, hosted by the Royal Society of
New Zealand, in Christchurch.
Ashton Bradley
Disruption of normal communication between brain areas is
a feature in several common brain disorders, including stroke
and epilepsy.
Dr Reynolds, a senior lecturer in anatomy and structural
biology, plans to focus his research on a "balancing act"
aimed at improving brain function after disorders such as
stroke and epilepsy.
He aims to use experimental approaches to alter the normal
balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain, to
try to improve function in these brain disorders.
Dr Bradley, a physicist, says his "pretty exciting"
fellowship will provide "a real shot in the arm" for his
research on turbulence in super-fluids, which has
implications for aerospace, shipping and energy management.
Prof Frank Griffin, the Otago University head of microbiology
and immunology, received the Royal Society's Pickering Medal
for "excellence and innovation" in technology.
The award also reflected his contribution to work in
developing diagnostics tests for detecting two major
bacterial diseases in deer and a vaccine for the prevention
of the bacterial disease yersiniosis in deer, award officials
said.
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