The University of AucklandTuesday 29 June 2010, 1:49PM
Media release from the University of Auckland
The University of Auckland has been gifted $1.8 million by the
Aotearoa Foundation to support postdoctoral fellowships at the
Auckland Bioengineering Institute and the Centre for Brain
Research.
The Aotearoa Foundation was founded by US philanthropist Julian
Robertson.
The gift will fund one new three-year fellowship at the Institute
and one at the Centre each year.
The Auckland Bioengineering Institute applies the mathematical and
engineering sciences to biology and human physiology. It aims to
improve understanding of physiological processes and the diagnosis
and treatment of injury or disease. It is led by Professor Peter
Hunter who was awarded New Zealand's top science honour, the
Rutherford Medal, in 2009.
He developed the world's first anatomically based computer model of
the human heart in 1996 and has a leading role in the major
international Physiome Project, which is building sophisticated
computer models of all the body's organs.
The Centre for Brain Research, a partnership between scientists,
doctors and the community, seeks to find and develop new treatments
for neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
diseases. It is led by Professor Richard Faull whose research spans
35 years and encompasses all major regions of the brain and spinal
cord.
Julian Robertson said today the Aotearoa Foundation was proud to
provide support to both research facilities which had achieved
results with far-reaching potential.
"This support will see this important, globally-acknowledged
work continue in New Zealand, attracting the postdoctoral talent
which will contribute to its advancement."
The University's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stuart McCutcheon, says
the donation is a "tremendous step forward" in the University's
"Leading the Way" fundraising campaign which to date has raised
more than $71 million.
"Both the Institute and the Centre are engaged in pioneering
research to improve the health prospects of people not only in New
Zealand but throughout the world. The postdoctoral fellowships
which are being created will attract and retain talented young
researchers who might otherwise take up opportunities
overseas."