Prestigious International Award for Liggins Scientist

Mon Mar 21 2016 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Prestigious International Award for Liggins Scientist

21 March 2016

Distinguished Professor Sir Peter Gluckman

Distinguished Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, founding director of the Liggins Institute and the Prime Minister’s chief science advisor, has won the 2015 Award for Science Diplomacy.

The international prize, awarded by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), recognises an individual or a small group working in science, engineering or foreign affairs making an outstanding contribution to furthering science diplomacy. Sir Peter is the first awardee outside the United States in five years.

“In an increasingly interconnected world characterised by global threats, the demand for good scientific advice has arguably never been greater,” the nominating committee wrote. “While many governments have structures and systems in place to provide this at a national level, the cross-border nature of these threats mean that the need for effective communication and coordination between scientific advisers is becoming increasingly essential.”

Science diplomacy involves bridging the worlds of science and politics, research and policy. The award honours Sir Peter for doing this on a national and international scale.

In 2014, he hosted and chaired the first ever international conference on Science Advice to Governments. The two-day summit in Auckland brought together 220 high-level advisors from more than 45 countries, as well as representatives from regional and multinational organizations. A major outcome was setting up the International Network of Scientific Advice to Governments (INGSA), which Sir Peter chairs.

Also in 2014, Sir Peter had a paper published in the major science journal, Nature. “Policy: The Art of Science Advice to Government,” outlines 10 principles for providing sound scientific advice while navigating political dynamics.

Under his tenure as chief science advisor, New Zealand established the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases. The 46-country-strong alliance researches and develops climate-resilient methods of growing food that don’t increase emissions. It shows the influential role that small nations can play on the global stage through science diplomacy.

Sir Peter is also the founding head of the secretariat of the Small Advanced Economies Initiative and served as co-chair of the World Health Organisation Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. He drove the 2012 creation of a network of chief science advisors at the Asia Pacific Economic Council.

Sir Peter has served in many leadership roles at the University of Auckland. In 2001, he established the Liggins Institute and became its founding director. He led the Institute for six years, building an international reputation for its research into the early-life origins of non-communicable disease. He stepped down as director when he was appointed chief science advisor, but remains a Distinguished Professor of Paediatrics and active researcher within Liggins.