Merilyn Manley-Harris (born ) is a New Zealand chemist, and is a

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

at the

University of Waikato The University of Waikato (), established in 1964, is a Public university, public research university located in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university performs research in nume ...

, specialising in carbohydrate chemistry, particularly relating to

mānuka honey Mānuka honey () is a monofloral honey produced from the nectar of the mānuka tree, ''Leptospermum scoparium''. The mānuka tree is indigenous to New Zealand and some parts of coastal Australia. The word ''mānuka'' is the Māori name of t ...

Academic career

Manley-Harris taught in England and Malta, before earning a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree at

James Cook University James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Cair ...

in Australia. She taught chemistry at

Townsville Grammar School Townsville Grammar School is an independent, co-educational, day, International Baccalaureate and boarding school, located in Townsville. Established in 1888, it is the northernmost member of the Queensland grammar schools. From its foundati ...

, before completing a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

, aged 45, titled ''Oligo- and polysaccharides formed during the thermolysis of sucrose'' at the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana, United States. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marki ...

in 1993. Manley Harris then moved to the

, where she was initially appointed jointly at

Scion Scion may refer to: Horticulture *Scion (grafting), in horticulture, the upper part of a combined plant Arts, entertainment, and media Characters *Atlantean Scion, a device in the ''Tomb Raider'' video game series *Scion, avatar of the warrior en ...

. She was promoted to full professor in 2019. Manley-Harris led the team that in 2009 identified the precursor to antibacterial chemicals in mānuka honey. It was already known that levels of methylglyoxal (MGO) in honey were associated with antibacterial activity, and that these levels tended to increase during storage of the honey. Manley-Harris's discovery that the MGO was being produced from dihydroxyacetone (DHA) allowed the development of a test for DHA levels in batches of honey. Beekepers would be able to test DHA levels to predict which batches would go on to have high levels of DHA, and thus would be worth storing, and which batches to sell young. In 2021, Manley-Harris was part of the team, led by Mike Clearwater, that discovered how mānuka flowers produce the precursor to the active ingredient in mānuka honey. In 2023, she was accorded the title of professor emeritus by the University of Waikato. While she is best-known for her work on honey, Manley-Harris has also researched how to use dental enamel to determine the origin of

possums Possum may refer to: Animals * Didelphimorphia, or (o)possums, an order of marsupials native to the Americas ** Didelphis, a genus of marsupials within Didelphimorphia *** Common opossum, native to Central and South America *** Virginia opossum, ...

, the toxicity of karaka berries, antibiotic retention in soils and the structure of

biochar Biochar is a form of charcoal, sometimes modified, that is intended for organic use, as in soil. It is the lightweight black remnants remaining after the pyrolysis of biomass, consisting of carbon and ashes. Despite its name, biochar is steril ...

Selected works

* * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manley-Harris, Merilyn 1940s births Year of birth uncertain Living people New Zealand academics New Zealand women academics Academic staff of the University of Waikato New Zealand chemists University of Montana alumni James Cook University alumni