Seafood Production Scientist Maren Wellenreuther Wins Thermo Fisher Scientific™ Award

Plant & Food Research seafood scientist Dr Maren Wellenreuther has been recognised for her high calibre of molecular biology research in New Zealand at the Queenstown Research Week, where she was given the 2020 Thermo Fisher Scientific™ Award for Excellence in Molecular Biology.

Dr Wellenreuther is an evolutionary biologist and a Science Group Leader – Seafood Production at Plant & Food Research. Her expertise is using genomic techniques to address evolutionary and ecological questions. Her work focuses on aquatic species, particularly native taonga species, and is notable for its blend of fundamental and applied research questions.

“I feel honoured that I was chosen for this award, but this sort of work is not done by individuals but rather by groups, and I would like to thank all the excellent people at Plant & Food Research for their hard work and support, and in particular the Seafood Production group, for their commitment to bring excellent science and innovative thinking to the fields of aquaculture and fisheries” says Dr Wellenreuther.

As the award recipient, she gave a presentation on harnessing the power of genomics to secure a sustainable blue future at the virtual 30th Annual Queenstown Molecular Biology Meeting on September 1.

Dr. Wellenreuther has published more than 60 papers, including a number of influential works in high impact journals, many of which she has led. She is the winner of the 2018 Royal Society Te Apārangi Hamilton Award and the 2017 Science New Zealand Plant & Food Research Early Career Researcher Award. She has a strong track record of attracting research funding, and has taken on a number of leadership roles.

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