IPENZ honours University of Canterbury bioengineer

18 March 2005

IPENZ honours University of Canterbury bioengineer

The Director of the University of Canterbury’s Centre for Bioengineering, Professor Tim David, has been elected a Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) for his contribution to the advancement of engineering knowledge.

The fellowship, which recognizes Professor David’s contribution to the development of computational biofluid mechanics, was presented at the IPENZ Awards Dinner in Auckland last night.

Since arriving in New Zealand in 2002 the mechanical engineering professor has quickly established a major research group in bioengineering, including collaborations with Christchurch Hospital.

In announcing the fellowship, IPENZ noted that through his reputation as an accomplished researcher Professor David had attracted considerable research funding. IPENZ said that as well as demonstrating research excellence, Professor David was “an academic who truly professes his discipline through wider collegial engagement”.

IPENZ Chief Executive, Andrew Cleland, said becoming a fellow was an honour “bestowed by one’s professional peers on high-achievers who have made a difference to the engineering profession”.

Professor David said he was “surprised but deeply honoured” to have been made a fellow of IPENZ.

“I hope that by being a fellow I will be able to do a lot more for IPENZ, especially in the bioengineering discipline which is a growing area.

“Back in the 1960s there were a lot of engineering problems that were outside of the human body. But because of the pressure on health services in developed countries bioengineering has become very, very important. We need to develop bioengineering skills in order to try and solve some of the health problems that challenge us.”

The University’s Centre for Bioengineering was established a year ago and is currently researching diseases such as breast cancer and altherosclerosis and fundamental issues associated with blood flow to the brain.

ENDS

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