A key moment for Prof Hutchinson came last May when the Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies was approved as a government-funded national Centre for Research Excellence (Core).
Prof Hutchinson (45) is the English-born director of that Core, which is the first to be headquartered at Otago University since Cores were established in this country in 2002.
Another Core, Brain Health Research New Zealand-Rangahau Roro Aotearoa, is also being established, co-hosted by Otago and Auckland universities.
This month, his promotion from associate professor to full professor took effect, and yesterday was also a ''special day'' - Prof Hutchinson became a New Zealand citizen in a ceremony at the Municipal Chambers in Dunedin.
Prof Hutchinson, who has lived in Dunedin for 15 years, married Denise Casey last year and their daughter Nancy was born last month.
Dunedin already had growing numbers of successful high-tech firms, including AD Instruments and Animation Research Ltd, and his aim was to spin off more new ventures in Dunedin and elsewhere from the new Core.
This would further add to the vibrancy of the city's economy and help attract bright young people in the city.
The city's economy would benefit from the ''amazing potential'' of a new era of powerful technologies developed through quantum physics.
Hard work was being done within the Core to move research into development and through to either start-up companies or licensing.
He also pointed to other positive developments in Dunedin, including conservation and redevelopment of the Vogel St area.
''I'm very optimistic about Dunedin at the moment. It's a wonderful time for Dunedin.''
