Diana Florence Hill (born 1943) is a New Zealand academic, and a full professor at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate ...

, specialising in molecular genetics. Hill's team's work on the genetics of animal production was awarded a Silver Medal by the Royal Society in 1996. She has been a Fellow of the

Royal Society Te Apārangi The Royal Society Te Apārangi (in full, Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi) is an independent, statutory not-for-profit body in New Zealand providing funding and policy advice in the fields of sciences and the humanities. History The R ...

since 1997.

Academic career

Born in 1943, Hill completed a PhD titled ''Studies of the structure and function of the DNA of the filamentous bacteriophages'' in 1980 through the Department of Biochemistry at the

. She followed this with postdoctoral research at Cambridge, UK. Hill worked on techniques for sequencing of DNA and proteins, before becoming involved in animal breeding through the

Invermay Agricultural Centre Invermay Agricultural Centre is located close to Mosgiel, on the Taieri Plains in Otago, New Zealand. Part of AgResearch AgResearch Ltd (formerly known as New Zealand Pastoral Agriculture Research Institute Limited) is one of New Zealand's ...

in Mosgiel. Hill recognised that the elite research flocks held at the centre offered the opportunity to explore the genetics of traits important for animal production. Prior to this it was generally held that such traits were quantitative, however Hill and her team were able to develop methods for the identification of single genes responsible for some traits. This work led to New Zealand's first major agri-biotechnology project, the University of Otago and

AgResearch AgResearch Ltd (formerly known as New Zealand Pastoral Agriculture Research Institute Limited) is one of New Zealand's largest Crown Research Institutes with over 700 staff and revenue of NZ$160.7 million in the year to June 2014. Main areas ...

joint Molecular Biology Unit, established in 1989. The unit created gene maps for sheep and deer as well as developing sheep as models for human diseases. The Royal Society awarded the work a Silver Medal for team excellence in 1996. Hill established Global Technologies (NZ) Ltd in 1999, a joint venture with

Silver Fern Farms Silver Fern Farms Limited is a New Zealand multinational meat company. It is owned in equal partnership by Silver Fern Farms Co-op Ltd, a cooperative of 16,000 New Zealand sheep, cattle and deer farmers and Shanghai Maling Aquarius Ltd. The c ...

. Hill was awarded a Personal Chair at the University of Otago. From 1999 to 2001 Hill chaired the

Marsden Fund Marsden grants are the main form of contestable funding for fundamental, 'blue skies' research in New Zealand. Grants are made in all areas of research, in both science and the humanities. The grants are made from the Marsden Fund, which was establ ...

committee, and was the second Chair of the Marsden Fund Council, taking over from

Ian Axford Sir William Ian Axford (2 January 1933 – 13 March 2010) was a New Zealand space scientist who was director of Germany's Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy from 1974 to 1990. Axford's research was focused on the interaction of the sun with the ...

in 2001.

Honours and awards

Hill received a

New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal The New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 was established by Royal Warrant on 1 July 1993. It was created to commemorate Women's suffrage in New Zealand and to recognize those New Zealand and Commonwealth citizens who had made a significant ...

in 1993. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1997. Hill was appointed a

Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services to science, in the 2002 Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours.

Selected work

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Diana Florence 1943 births Living people New Zealand geneticists University of Otago alumni Academic staff of the University of Otago Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand New Zealand biochemists Recipients of the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 New Zealand women academics New Zealand women scientists