Otago academic awarded Hutton Medal
PROF Neil Gemmell’s evolutionary and reproductive biology work has influenced species conservation and management plans of some of the world’s rarest species.
Now the University of Otago School of Biomedical Sciences Distinguished Professor has been awarded the prestigious 2020 Hutton Medal by the Royal Society Te Aparangi.
The medal is awarded annually to a researcher for significantly advancing the understanding of animal, plant or earth sciences.
Prof Gemmell received the medal at a ceremony in Christchurch last night, and said the recognition was humbling.
‘‘Being able to pursue my scientific interests and curiosities in Aotearoa New Zealand is a privilege that I have never taken for granted.
‘‘The pursuit of new knowledge and understanding remains a driving passion, but it is not a solo pursuit and I thank my family, friends and many colleagues who have supported that ongoing push for new discovery.’’
Prof Gemmell’s work includes an investigation of the ‘‘mother’s curse’’ phenomenon (mitochondrial DNA mutations which only affect males); research on how some fish can completely reverse sex due to simple social cues; a novel study on the biodiversity of Loch Ness, using the latest environmental DNA approaches; and this year, he led the first sequencing of the tuatara genome.
A Royal Society Te Aparangi spokeswoman described his research as having fundamentally changed the world’s understanding of animal ecology, evolution and conservation.
‘‘Prof Gemmell has consistently devised, adapted, and applied the latest molecular genetic and analytical approaches to address questions relating to the ecology and evolution of a variety of species, including the platypus, New Zealand native and Amazonian frogs, birds, sea mammals, marine invertebrates and, most recently, the tuatara.
‘‘His work has influenced species conservation and management plans of some of the world’s rarest species.’’