Board, executive, staff and students - Annual Report 2024

3 July, 2025

Governance Representative Board

Professor Richard Blaikie
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research & Enterprise
University of Otago

Will Charles
Executive Director, Technology Development
UniServices
University of Auckland

Professor Ray Geor
Pro Vice-Chancellor College of Sciences
Massey University

Professor Margaret Hyland
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research
Victoria University of Wellington

Joe Manning
Head of Department - Materials and Air
GNS Science

Blanche Morrogh*
Independent Director
Kai Ora Honey

Marny Reakes*
Independent Director
Pacific Channel

Hēmi Rolleston
Independent Chair of the Board

Professor Ian Wright*
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation
University of Canterbury

*Partial year

Ex-Officio

Professor Nicola Gaston
Co-Director, MacDiarmid Institute
University of Auckland

Professor Justin Hodgkiss
Co-Director, MacDiarmid Institute
Victoria University of Wellington

Associate Professor Anna Garden
Deputy Director Outreach and Education, MacDiarmid Institute
University of Otago

Associate Professor Pauline Harris
Deputy Director Māori, MacDiarmid Institute
Massey University

Associate Professor Natalie Plank
Deputy Director Commercialisation and Industry Engagement, MacDiarmid Institute
Victoria University of Wellington

Professor Charles Unsworth
Science Executive Representative, MacDiarmid Institute
University of Auckland

International Science Advisory Board

Professor Sir Richard Friend
Cavendish Professor of Physics
University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Physics of energy materials, condensed matter

Dr Anita Hill
Chief Research Scientist, Future Industries
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia
Porous materials

Professor Wilhelm Huck
Professor of Chemistry, Institute for Molecules and Materials
Radboud University, Netherlands
Artificial cells

Professor Tomonobu Nakayama
Deputy Director, Administrative Director, Group Leader of WPI-MANA
Deputy Director of International Center for Young Scientists (ICYS)
Professor at the University of Tsukuba National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)
International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA)
University of Tsukuba, Japan
Surface physics and chemistry, nanotechnology, nanobioscience

Professor Daniel Nocera
Patterson Rockwood Professor of Energy
Harvard University, United States of America
Chemistry of renewal energy

Professor Ivan Parkin
Dean of Mathematical and Physical Sciences Faculty
University College London, United Kingdom
Nanomaterials

Professor Annie Powell
Professor of Inorganic Chemistry, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry and Institute of Nanotechnology
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
Molecular materials

Dr Charles Royal*
Independent researcher and consultant New Zealand
Mātauranga Māori

Professor Michelle Simmons
Director, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology
Laureate Fellow
Scientia Professor of Physics
University of New South Wales, Australia
Quantum computing, condensed matter physics

Professor Matt Trau
Professor of Chemistry, University of Queensland
Deputy Director and co-founder, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology
University of Queensland, Australia
Nanoscience, nanotechnology, and molecular diagnostics

Dr David Williams
Chief Research Scientist and Laboratory Manager, Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory
University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Materials for computing

*Partial year

Science Executive

Professor Nicola Gaston
Co-Director, MacDiarmid Institute
University of Auckland

Professor Justin Hodgkiss
Co-Director, MacDiarmid Institute
Victoria University of Wellington

Associate Professor Anna Garden
Deputy Director Outreach and Education, MacDiarmid Institute
University of Otago

Associate Professor Pauline Harris
Deputy Director Māori/Māori Research Representative/Research Programme Leader: Mātauranga Māori
Massey University

Associate Professor Natalie Plank
Deputy Director Commercialisation and Industry Engagement, MacDiarmid Institute
Victoria University of Wellington

Professor Simon Brown*
Research Programme Leader: Future Computing
University of Canterbury

Associate Professor Chris Fitchett
Associate Investigator Representative
University of Canterbury

Dr Simon Granville*
Research Programme Leader: Future Computing
Victoria University of Wellington

Professor Derek Kawiti
Principal Investigator Representative
Victoria University of Wellington

Associate Professor Jenny Malmström
Research Programme Leader: Reconfigurable Systems
University of Auckland

Professor Shane Telfer
Research Programme Leader: Catalytic Architectures
Massey University

Professor Charles Unsworth*
Principal Investigator Representative
University of Auckland

Keiran DeMonte
MESA Co-Chair
University of Otago

Brooke Matthews
MESA Co-Chair
University of Canterbury

*Partial year

Ex-Officio

Kirsty Doyle
Strategic Manager Māori, MacDiarmid Institute
Victoria University of Wellington

Gabrielle Holmes
Programme Manager, MacDiarmid Institute
Victoria University of Wellington

Kevin Sheehy
Commercialisation and Industry Engagement Manager, MacDiarmid Institute
Victoria University of Wellington

Rosie Wayte
Institute Manager, MacDiarmid Institute
Minute-taker
Victoria University of Wellington

Vanessa Young
Strategic Engagement and Communications Manager, MacDiarmid Institute
Victoria University of Wellington

MacDiarmid Emerging Scientists Association (MESA) 2024

Brooke Matthews
Co-Chair
PhD student
University of Canterbury

Keiran DeMonte
Co-Chair
PhD student
University of Otago

Marco Vás
Secretary
PhD student
University of Auckland

Nicholas Smith
Treasurer
PhD student
University of Otago

Stefania Glukhova
Social Media Representative
PhD student
Victoria University of Wellington

Samuel Harris
Senior Commercialisation and Industry Representative
PhD student
University of Otago

Aston Pearcy
Junior Commercialisation and Industry Representative
Junior scientist
Victoria University of Wellington

Winter Zakaria
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Representative
PhD student
University of Canterbury

Cynthia Andriani
Centre Representative
PhD student
University of Auckland/Massey University

Jodi Carter*
Centre Representative
Masters student
Victoria University of Wellington

Askin Eldiven
Centre Representative
PhD student
University of Canterbury

Elouan Hay-Fourmond
Centre Representative
PhD student
University of Otago

Alaigne Mare*
Centre Representative
Masters student
Victoria University of Wellington

Olivia Matich
Centre Representative
PhD student
Auckland University of Technology

Chris Mills
Centre Representative
PhD student
University of Otago

Brijesh Patel
Centre Representative
PhD student
Robinson Research Institute

Qayyum Shehzad
Centre Representative
PhD student
Massey University

Finnian Smith
Centre Representative
PhD student
Victoria University of Wellington

Campbell Tiffin
Centre Representative
PhD student
University of Canterbury

Carlie Watt
Centre Representative
PhD student
University of Auckland

*Partial year

Principal Investigators

Martin Allen
Diane Bradshaw
Sally Brooker
Simon Brown
Chris Bumby
Laura Domigan
Anna Garden
Nicola Gaston
Keith Gordon
Michele Governale
Simon Granville
Pauline Harris
Justin Hodgkiss
Derek Kawiti
John Kennedy
Paul Kruger
Eric Le Ru
Nigel Lucas
Jenny Malmström
Aaron Marshall
Duncan McGillivray
Franck Natali
Volker Nock
Natalie Plank
Ben Ruck
James Storey
Shane Telfer
Jadranka Travas-Sejdic
Charles Unsworth
Geoff Waterhouse
Catherine Whitby
Grant Williams
Geoff Willmott
Ulrich Zuelicke

Associate Investigators

Mathew Anker
Baptiste Auguie
Ebubekir (Ebu) Avci
David Barker
Catherine Bishop
Margaret Brimble
Philip Brydon
Peng Cao
Jack Chen
Kai Chen
Shen Chong
Martyn Coles
Matthew Cowan
James Crowley
Nathaniel Davis
Renwick Dobson
Courtney Ennis
Christopher Fitchett
Robin Fulton
Petrik Galvosas
Vladimir Golovko
Prasanth Gupta
Muhammad Hanif
William Holmes-Hewett
Patricia Hunt
Geoff Jameson
Marcus Jones
Vedran Jovic
Roshan Khadka
Jon Kitchen
Erin Leitao
Luke Liu
Taniela Lolohea
Ben Mallett
Steven Matthews
Kim McKelvey
Joseph Nelson
Michel Nieuwoudt
Emilia Nowak*
Elke Pahl
Kannan Ridings
Charlie Ruffman
Daniel Sando
Viji Sarojini
Jami Shepherd
Tilo Söhnel
Krista Steenbergen
Mark Waterland
Cameron Weber
Ben Yin
Alex Yip

*Partial year

Emeritus Investigators

Maan Alkaisi
Richard Blaikie
Penny Brothers
Ian Brown
Bob Buckley
Sally Davenport
Juliet Gerrard
Simon Hall
Shaun Hendy
Jim Johnston
Tim Kemmitt
Ken MacKenzie
Andreas Markwitz
Jim Metson
Roger Reeves
Mike Reid
Craig Rofe
Cather Simpson
Jeff Tallon
Richard Tilley
David Williams

Professional staff

Kirsty Doyle
Strategic Manager Māori, MacDiarmid Institute
Victoria University of Wellington

Gabrielle Holmes
Programme Manager, MacDiarmid Institute
Victoria University of Wellington

Kevin Sheehy
Commercialisation and Industry Engagement Manager, MacDiarmid Institute
Victoria University of Wellington

Rosie Wayte
Institute Manager, MacDiarmid Institute
Victoria University of Wellington

Vanessa Young
Strategic Engagement and Communications Manager, MacDiarmid Institute
Victoria University of Wellington

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