An nanotechnology pioneer Don Eigler is enthusiastic about New Zealand and says there is scope for this country to develop more high-technology industries.
A multiple award-winning scientist, Dr Eigler, of Santa Cruz, in northern California, is visiting the University of Otago as a James and Jean Davis Prestige Visitor.
Dr Eigler, who is also a keen sailor, has visited New Zealand many times over the past 15 years and now part-owns a yacht, which is moored north of Auckland. Dr Eigler previously worked for IBM for 25 years and was long associated with the IBM Almaden Research Centre in San Jose, California.
In 1989, he was the first to use a scanning tunnelling microscope tip to arrange individual atoms on a surface, spelling out the letters ''IBM'' with a series of xenon atoms.
A New Zealand research-linked Crown entity, titled Callaghan Innovation, was formed this year, named after the late New Zealand physicist Paul Callaghan.
Prof Callaghan was the founding director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, and Dr Eigler is a member of the institute's international advisory board.
New Zealand scientists, including Prof Callaghan, had made a significant contribution to world science in nanotechnology, Dr Eigler said in an interview.
Prof Callaghan had highlighted the potential for science and technology entrepreneurship to diversify New Zealand's economy.
Dr Eigler shared Prof Callaghan's view that ''a more balanced economy'', with more focus on high-technology industries, would ''serve New Zealand well''.
Dr Eigler praised New Zealand's ''wonderful assets'', including its excellent universities, good governance and attractive climate.
''It's a magnificent piece of land. Without a doubt, it's gorgeous.''
And New Zealanders had ''gone out of their way'' to help him over the years.
Dr Eigler is giving a public lecture on ''Life among the atoms - an expedition to the small frontier'' at the university's Castle 1 lecture theatre at 6pm today.
