Professor Sir Paul Callaghan

Sir Paul Callaghan GNZM FRS FRSNZ (1947–2012) was a world-leading, award-winning Kiwi physicist who specialised in nanotechnology and magnetic resonance. A highly-respected and inspirational leader and teacher, Sir Paul championed science and business as being crucial to New Zealand’s economic growth. His vision was for New Zealanders to get more value and return from their ingenuity by combining science, innovation and commercialisation, and creating a hub of smart, export-focused entrepreneurs, where a high quality lifestyle is achieved through excellence in education and R&D.

In 2001, Sir Paul was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of London and in 2004, he received the Ampère Prize from the French Academy of Sciences. The following year he was awarded the Royal Society of New Zealand’s most prestigious prize – the Rutherford Medal. Sir Paul was appointed Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2006 and redesignated a Knight Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2011. In 2007, he received a Sir Peter Blake Medal. Subsequently, he also received the Gunter Laukien Prize for magnetic resonance as well as the Prime Minister’s Science Prize. The year before he died, Sir Paul was named New Zealander of the Year.