Professor Wei Gao named Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Professor Wei Gao from the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZOM) in yesterday’s Queen’s Birthday Honours list for his services to science and engineering.
Professor Gao has had a long and distinguished career in Materials Science and Engineering. His research interests include nanostructured materials, light metals and alloys, electronic properties of materials, and advanced coating and surface technologies.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and IPENZ, and is on the editorial board of a number international journals.
Throughout his over-23 year tenure at the University of Auckland, he has supported 90 postgraduates, served as Honorary/Advisor Professor for eight overseas universities, and established wide international research collaborations with universities and institutes across the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, China, Japan, Australia, Singapore and Korea.
His achievements ensure that New Zealand research is influential on a global scale. The honour, announced on June 6, was presented to Professor Gao for making a significant impact in addressing the energy, environmental, industrial and technological challenges faced both here and worldwide.
Another Honours for Professor Gao include the Scott Medal from the Royal Society NZ, Shorland Medal from the New Zealand Association of Scientists, presented in recognition of his contribution to research that has added to significant scientific understanding or benefits to society.
Professor Nic Smith, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, offered warm congratulations to Professor Gao. “This Honour is doubly pleasing because it not only recognises Professor Gao’s stellar contribution to New Zealand but also celebrates the excellent research in engineering being done in this country.”