New Zealand Institute of Chemistry prizes and awards

The NZIC offers a number of prizes and awards.  Each has its own criteria.  The application deadline for all prizes and awards is 30th June of the year in which it is offered.  Enquiries about the prizes and awards, eligibility of applicants or the process should be directed to the NZIC Administration (nzic.office@gmail.com).

Easterfield Award Biennial
Maurice Wilkins Centre Prize for Chemical Science Annual
Douglas Pharmaceuticals Prize for Industrial and Applied Chemistry Annual
Denis Hogan Chemical Education Award sponsored by sciPad Annual
The Brian Halton Award sponsored by JEOL Annual

Selection process

The prizes and awards are made by the NZIC Council, on the recommendation of a Selection Committee. The final decision on the award will be made by vote of the Council.  The Selection Committees will comprise three (3) members of the NZIC Council, including one executive member (where there is no conflict of interest), and one past awardee. Conflicts of interest will be mitigated such that co-authors, supervisors/mentors, or departmental colleagues of nominees will not serve on the Selection Committee.  Every effort will be made to have a diverse Selection Committee in terms of chemistry sub-discipline, gender and other considerations. The Selection Committee may co-opt one suitable person from industry if required. The Selection Committee will make a recommendation to the NZIC Council.  All application materials for all awards will remain confidential to the Selection Committee.

Easterfield Award

The Easterfield award takes the form of a medal was donated by the Royal Institute of Chemistry (now the Royal Society of Chemistry) in honour of the late Sir Thomas Hill Easterfield KBE MZ (Cantab) PhD (Wurzburg) FRSNZ FRIC HonFNZIC who was well known for his contribution in the field of chemistry and will be remembered particularly for the inspiration and encouragement he gave his students during the many years he was Professor of Chemistry at Victoria University College and for his infectious enthusiasm for chemical research.  Sir Thomas was the first chairman of the New Zealand section of the Royal Institute of Chemistry and also one of the early Presidents of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry (NZIC). It is therefore fitting and in accordance with the wishes of the Council of the Royal Society of Chemistry that the two should act in association.

Criteria

Candidates must have no more than 12 years of full-time equivalent professional experience since completing their most recent relevant qualification of a BSc, BSc(Hons), MSc or PhD Degree, or the equivalent, on 30 June in the year of their application for consideration for the award.

  1. The award will be open to all chemists in New Zealand whether or not they are members of the Royal Society of Chemistry or the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry.
  2. The major portion of the candidate’s research work submitted must have been carried out in New Zealand as judged by the research work published during the twelve (12) full time equivalent years immediately preceding the award.
  3. No person may be awarded the Easterfield Award more than once.
  4. The award winner will be requested to deliver a lecture on the subject of her/his research at an NZIC conference (or on some other suitable occasion) and will carry out a short lecture tour, hosted by the Royal Society of Chemistry, in the United Kingdom.
  5. The award shall be made biennially and presented to the successful candidate on the occasion of her/his lecture.
  6. The NZIC Council reserves the right to make no award in any year if the standard of work is not of sufficient merit.
  7. Expenses necessarily incurred by the award winner in connection with the delivery of his/her lecture(s) (up to a total of NZD 3500) will be covered by the NZIC.
  8. Unless otherwise agreed to by NZIC Council, the overseas lecture tour to the UK hosted by the Royal Society of Chemistry must be taken up within two years of the award being made or the opportunity will lapse.

Application process

Applications for this award containing the information below must be received in electronic format by the NZIC Administration (nzic.office@gmail.com) by the 30th June in the year of the award.

Note that letters of support are NOT required.

  1. A statement which outlines the nominee’s contributions to chemistry and the impact of the nominee’s work.
  2. A curriculum vitae (CV).
  3. Five (5) nominated papers. Each paper should be accompanied by a short (250 words) summary indicating the importance and impact of the work and describing the relative contributions from all authors. (The statements are similar to those required for the NZ performance based research fund (PBRF) process.)

Previous recipients:

  • 2005 Dr Emily Parker (Massey)
  • 2007 Dr Jadranka Travis-Sejdic (Auckland)
  • 2009 Dr Richard Tilley (Victoria, Wellington)
  • 2011 Dr Bridget Stocker (Malaghan Institute, Wellington)
  • 2013 Dr James Crowley (Otago)
  • 2015 Dr Justin Hodgkiss (Victoria, Wellington)
  • 2017 Dr Sally Gaw (Canterbury)
  • 2019 Dr Bill Hawkins (Otago)

Maurice Wilkins Centre Prize for Chemical Science

This is the premier prize of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry (NZIC) and is awarded to a candidate based on the excellence and impact of their chemistry.

Criteria

  1. The prize will only be made to a member of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry.
  2. The prize will consist of $1,500 and a plaque.
  3. The prize will be awarded annually.
  4. No person may be awarded the Chemical Science prize more than once.
  5. The NZIC Council reserves the right to make no award in any year if the standard of work is not of sufficient merit.
  6. The NZIC Council may nominate candidates for the prize.

Application process

Applications for this award containing the information below must be received in electronic format by the NZIC Administration (nzic.office@gmail.com) by the 30th June.

Note that letters of support are NOT required.

  1. A statement which outlines the applicant’s contributions to chemistry, evidence for excellence of the work and the impact of the applicant’s work.
  2. A CV.
  3. Five (5) nominated papers (the nominated papers can be selected from the candidate’s whole career. However, the work described in the nominated papers must have been carried out in New Zealand). Each paper should be accompanied by a short (250 words) summary indicating the importance and impact of the work and describing the relative contributions from all authors. (The statements are similar to those required for the NZ performance based research fund (PBRF) process.)

Previous recipients:

  • 2005 Prof. Margaret Brimble (Auckland)
  • 2006 Prof. Peter Steel (Canterbury)
  • 2007 Prof. Andrew Brodie & Assoc. Prof. Eric Ainscough (Massey)
  • 2008 Dr Henrik Kjaergaard (Otago)
  • 2009 Prof. Sally Brooker (Otago)
  • 2010 Prof. Keith Gordon (Otago)
  • 2011 Dr David Williams (Auckland)
  • 2012 Assoc Prof. Richard D. Tilley (Wellington)
  • 2013 Prof. Rob Smith (Otago)
  • 2014 Dr Peter Tyler (Wellington)
  • 2015 Dr Shane Telfer (Massey)
  • 2016 Dr Christian Hartinger (Auckland)
  • 2017 Assoc. Prof. James Crowley (Otago) & Prof. Jadranka Travas-Sejdic (Auckland)
  • 2018 Prof. Antony Fairbanks (Canterbury)
  • 2019 Prof. Justin Hodgkiss (Wellington)
  • 2020 Assoc. Prof. Geoff Waterhouse (Auckland)

Douglas Pharmaceuticals Prize for Industrial and Applied Chemistry

The Industrial and Applied Chemistry Prize was first awarded in 1978 to encourage and support applied chemical research in New Zealand. The prize will be awarded for meritorious achievement in the field of industrial or applied chemistry.

Criteria

  1. The prize will only be made to a member of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry.
  2. In the case of joint work the prize may be shared between two or more members.
  3. The prize will consist of $1,500.
  4. The prize will be awarded annually.
  5. The NZIC Council reserves the right to make no award in any year if the standard of the application is not of sufficient merit.
  6. Applications for the prize may be made by individual members, or nominations may be made by Branch Committees or by any member of the Institute.

Application process

Applications for this award containing the information below must be received in electronic format by the NZIC Administration (nzic.office@gmail.com) by the 30th June.

  1. A statement outlining the industrial or applied chemistry activities or achievements of the applicant(s) and their significance in terms of improved technology, new products or other benefits to industry or the community. There is no limit on the period of time over which the work was carried out.
  2. A CV.
  3. Supporting documents and publications may be submitted.
  4. The value of the work should be attested by a statement regarding the value of the work from the manager or directors of a relevant company or organisation may be included.

Previous recipients:

  • 2007 Prof. Jim Johnston (Victoria, Wellington)
  • 2008 Dr Simon Hall (Massey)
  • 2009 Dr Owen Catchpole (IRL, Wellington)
  • 2010 Dr David Harding (Manawatu)
  • 2011 Dr Laurence Eyres (Auckland)
  • 2012 Prof. Brian Robinson and Dr Stephen C. Moratti (Otago)
  • 2013 Dr Nigel Perry (Otago)
  • 2014 Dr Bradley Williams (Wellington)
  • 2015 Dr Phillip Rendle (Ferrier Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington) and Dr Paul Benjes Glycosyn, Callaghan Innovation
  • 2016 Dr Carla Meledandri (Otago)
  • 2017 Prof. Cather Simpson (Auckland)
  • 2018 Mr Darren Saunders (Canterbury)
  • 2019 Prof. Russell Frew (Otago)
  • 2020 Prof. Justin Hodgkiss and Dr Kai Chen (Wellington)

sciPAD Denis Hogan Chemical Education Award

The NZIC Denis Hogan award for Chemical Education, recognises excellence in teaching chemistry.  The award shall be made to a person who has made an important contribution to Chemical Education in New Zealand. The award will normally be made to a secondary school teacher actively involved in teaching chemistry but tertiary level educators will also be considered.

Criteria

  1. The award is not restricted to financial members of the NZIC.
  2. The award will consist of $1000 and a certificate.
  3. The award will be made annually.
  4. The NZIC Council reserves the right to make no award in any year if the standard of the application is not of sufficient merit.
  5. Applications for the prize may be made by individual members, or nominations may be made by Branch Committees or by any member of the NZIC.

Application process

Applications for this award containing the information below must be received in electronic format by the NZIC Administration (nzic.office@gmail.com) by the 30th June.

  1. A statement detailing the candidate’s contributions to chemical education.
  2. A CV.
  3. Two independent supporting statements from referees commenting on the educational activities of the candidate and their significance to chemical education.

Previous recipients:

  • 2005 Trevor Kitson
  • 2006 Denis Hogan
  • 2007 Adrian Jull
  • 2008 Craig Steed
  • 2009 Ian Torrie
  • 2010 Jan Giffney
  • 2011 Robert Maclagan
  • 2012 Rudi Jansen
  • 2013 Duncan Smith
  • 2014 Suzanne Boniface
  • 2015 Sheila Woodgate
  • 2016 Jan Wikaira
  • 2017 Dr David McMorran & Graham Townsend
  • 2018 Dr David Warren
  • 2019 Prof. Richard Hartshorn
  • 2020 Dr Murray Thompson

JEOL Brian Halton Award

The Brian Halton Award is awarded for an outstanding paper in the field of chemistry published by a New Zealand University student.

Criteria

  • The prize will only be made to a member of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry.
  • The prize will consist of $1,000 and a certificate.
  • The prize will be awarded annually.
  • The student must be enrolled at a New Zealand University in an MSc or PhD program, or within one year of the completion of the program, when the nominated paper is published or accepted for publication.
  • The paper must be published (or accepted for publication) no more than 12 months prior to the nomination deadline.
  • The award is given to one person only. A group award can be made in exceptional circumstances but a clear case must be made to the judging panel.
  • The New Zealand Institute of Chemistry Council reserves the right to make no award in any year if the standard of work submitted for consideration is not of sufficient merit.
  • Applications for the prize may be made by individual members, or nominations may be made by Branch Committees or by any member of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry.

Application process

Applications for this award containing the information below must be received in electronic format by the NZIC Administration (nzic.office@gmail.com) by the 30th June. All files should be combined into a single PDF before submission.

  • CV including publication list
  • Electronic copy of the publication to be judged for the award
  • A statement by the candidate of no more than 200 words describing the potential impact of their paper. 
  • A letter from the candidate’s supervisor providing a written description of the nominee’s contribution to the research project and to the paper. The letter should be on letterhead but may be sent electronically.

Previous recipients:

  • 2020 Lynn Lisboa (Otago)

The Student Communicator Prize

This prize is awarded to the student that gives the best oral talk or presentation at a New Zealand Institute of Chemistry national conference.

Criteria

  • The prize will only be made to a member of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry.
  • The prize will consist of $250 and a certificate.
  • The prize will be awarded the year of a New Zealand Institute of Chemistry national conference.
  • During the conference, the student must be currently enrolled in a graduate program at a New Zealand University, or be within 6 months of completion.

Selection Process

  • Each geographical branch nominates a student to present at the conference.
  • A panel of judges to be appointed at the time of the conference will judge the entries.
  • Where possible the panel will be drawn from international attendees at the conference to avoid any bias, ideally from the plenary speaker pool.

The winner will be announced at the conference dinner.

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