2010 Prime Minister's Science Prize

The 2010 Prime Minister's Science Prize has been awarded to the Magnetic Resonance Innovation team that is led by Professor Sir Paul Callaghan. The team includes four of his former PhD students who have gone on to become internationally respected scientists in their fields. The team members come from both science and engineering disciplines and their initial work was carried out at Massey University, relocating to Victoria through the 2000s.

The team is: Professor Paul Callaghan, Professor in the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences at Victoria; Dr Robin Dykstra, Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering and Computer Science at Victoria; Dr Mark Hunter, Research Fellow in the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences at Victoria; Dr Andrew Coy, a physicist and Chief Executive Officer of Wellington technology company Magritek; and Dr Craig Eccles, a physicist and Chief Technology Officer at Magritek.

The Prime Minister's Science Prize combines recognition and reward, with the winning team receiving $500,000 of which $400,000 is earmarked for ongoing research. The prize is awarded for a transformative science discovery or achievement which has had an impact on New Zealand or internationally. Four other Prime Minister's Science Prizes were also presented.