Merryn Tawhai

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Tawhai in 2019 Merryn Tawhai (cropped).jpg
Tawhai in 2019

Merryn Tawhai FRSNZ is a New Zealand engineering scientist. She is a professor at the University of Auckland, [1] director of the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, where she was a fellow from 2002, and a former director of MedTech CoRE. [2] She is known for the development of mathematical models of the lungs that will help scientists understand differences between physiologically normal lungs and the pathological changes that might occur in a disease. She was inducted into the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering in June 2018. [3] In November 2018, Tawhai was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. [4]

Contents

Life

When Tawhai was in high school, her favorite subjects were mathematics and biology. [5] In 2001, she graduated with a PhD in engineering physics from the University of Auckland. [6] Her doctoral thesis, supervised by Andrew Pullan and Peter Hunter, was titled An anatomically based mathematical model of the human lungs, applied to gas mixing and water vapour and heat transport. [7] She had two children during her PhD studies. [5]

Following her PhD studies, Tawhai was a research fellow at the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering beginning in 2002. [8]

In 2013, Tawhai was appointed deputy director of the Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI).

In 2015, Tawhai was appointed deputy director, and then from 2018 to 2021 director, of the Medical Technologies Centre of Research Excellence (MedTech CoRE). [9] She remains part of the research network of this organisation. [10]

In 2023, Tawhai was appointed director of the Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI).

Awards

In 2016, Tawhai was awarded the MacDiarmid Medal by the Royal Society of New Zealand, [11] and the following year she was named one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's "150 women in 150 words", celebrating women's contributions to knowledge in New Zealand. [12]

Tawhai is a Fellow of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering, [13] and a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. [14] [15]

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References

  1. ↑ "Professor Merryn Tawhai". University of Auckland. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  2. ↑ "Bioengineering - a boon for New Zealand?". Royal Society Te Apārangi. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  3. ↑ "Professor's pioneering lung work honoured with top international honour". University of Auckland. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  4. ↑ "Centenary cohort of Fellows announced". Royal Society of New Zealand. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Women's passion now their careers". The New Zealand Herald . NZME. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  6. ↑ "Professor Merryn Tawhai - lung disease". Radio New Zealand. 16 June 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  7. ↑ Tawhai, Merryn (2001). An anatomically based mathematical model of the human lungs, applied to gas mixing and water vapour and heat transport (Doctoral thesis). ResearchSpace@Auckland, University of Auckland. hdl:2292/2301.
  8. ↑ "Professor's pioneering lung work honoured with top international honour". University of Auckland. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  9. ↑ "Merryn Tawhai". profiles.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  10. ↑ "Our People". CMDT - MedTech. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  11. ↑ "2016 MacDiarmid Medal:Virtual window into our airways". Royal Society Te Apārangi. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  12. ↑ "Merryn Tawhai". Royal Society Te Apārangi. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  13. ↑ "Merryn Tawhai". profiles.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  14. ↑ "Merryn Tawhai". profiles.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  15. ↑ "Merryn Tawhai, Ph.D. COF-3137 - AIMBE" . Retrieved 7 October 2022.
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