Riddet Institute Board gains new members

The Riddet Institute, Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Richard Barker and Dr Kieran Elborough to the Institute board. Representatives from the University of Otago and Plant & Food Research respectively, these appointments continue the high-level support of these partner organisations to the Institute in guiding strategic directions of the CoRE programme.

Distinguished Professor Harjinder Singh, Director of the Riddet Institute, welcomes Richard and Kieran to the board and looks forward to working with them. “The Riddet Institute board has always taken a key role in leading the Institute towards success, through the contribution and guidance of its members. We are delighted to appoint Professor Barker and Dr Elborough, who bring with them a wealth of expertise and knowledge. The team at the Riddet Institute is committed to scientific excellence, leadership and training the future leaders of the scientific community in New Zealand and the world. Both Richard and Kieran share these goals and will help to guide the Riddet Institute in 2019 and beyond,” he says.

Professor Richard Barker is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Division of Sciences at the University of Otago. Richard has a background in both Zoology and Mathematics, and he joined the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in 1998, following positions with New Zealand Fish and Game, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Landcare ResearchRichard was Head of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics from 2008 to 2016. and became Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Division of Sciences in 2017. The teams he leads, including the departments of food science and human nutrition, are internationally recognised for excellence in all activities, including their strong emphasis on research and research-led teaching.

Dr Kieran Elborough is the Group General Manager – Technology Development at The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Ltd (PFR).  Kieran has had a diverse science career to date, with a background that includes a lectureship at the University of Durham in the UK and a Chief Scientist role with a subsidiary of Fonterra.

He has also held several positions within Plant & Food Research in the last 12 years as Business Development Manager, General Manager of Science-Food Innovation and General Manager of Science-New Cultivar Innovation.   As a Member of the NZ Institute of Directors, Kieran’s governance experience includes a Ministerial appointment on the Authority of the Environmental Risk Management Agency NZ and more recently, several plant based companies both in New Zealand and overseas, and a start-up biotechnology company.