Sir Peter David Gluckman (born 8 February 1949) is a New Zealand scientist. Originally trained as a paediatrician, he served as the inaugural
Chief Science Advisor to the
New Zealand Prime Minister
The prime minister of New Zealand () is the head of government of New Zealand. The prime minister, Christopher Luxon, leader of the New Zealand National Party, took office on 27 November 2023.
The prime minister (informally abbreviated to ...
from 2009 to 2018. He is a founding member and was inaugural chair of the International Network for Government Science Advice, and is president of the
International Science Council
The International Science Council (ISC) is an international non-governmental organization that unites scientific bodies at various levels across the social and natural sciences. The ISC was formed with its inaugural general assembly on 4 July 20 ...
.
Scientific career
Born in
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, Gluckman attended
Auckland Grammar School
Auckland Grammar School (often simplified to Auckland Grammar, or Grammar), established in 1869, is a State school, state, Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding secondary school for Single-sex education, boys in Auckland, New Zealand. ...
before studying
paediatrics
Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their youth ...
and
endocrinology
Endocrinology (from ''endocrine system, endocrine'' + ''wikt:-logy#Suffix, -ology'') is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions known as hormones. It is also concerned with the ...
at the
University of Otago
The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...
, gaining an
MBChB in 1971 and an
MMedSc in 1976 from the
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...
. After further training at the University of California, San Francisco, he returned to New Zealand in 1980 to establish a group in perinatal physiology as a career fellow of the Medical Research Council of New Zealand.
In 1988, Gluckman was appointed Professor of Paediatric and
Perinatal
Prenatal development () involves the development of the embryo and of the fetus during a viviparous animal's gestation. Prenatal development starts with fertilization, in the germinal stage of embryonic development, and continues in fetal deve ...
Biology and was head of the Department of Paediatrics. He obtained a
DSc DSC or Dsc may refer to:
Education
* Doctor of Science (D.Sc.)
* District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India
* Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine
Educational institutions
* Dyal Sin ...
in 1989 from the University of Auckland. He then served as dean of the university's
Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences whilst also heading the Research Centre for Developmental Medicine and Biology.
In 2001, Gluckman became the founding director of the
Liggins Institute, and, a year later, director of the
National Research Centre for Growth and Development (later called 'Gravida: National Centre for Growth and Development'), hosted by the University of Auckland. He stepped down from both positions in mid-2009 to assume his role as the first Chief Science Advisor to the New Zealand Prime Minister.
In 2007 Gluckman was appointed programme director for Growth, Development and Metabolism at the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, where he is currently chief scientific officer. He also holds honorary chairs at
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national university, national Public university, public research university in Singapore. It was officially established in 1980 by the merging of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University ...
and the
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton (abbreviated as ''Soton'' in post-nominal letters) is a public university, public research university in Southampton, England. Southampton is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universit ...
. In 2014, he was appointed co-chair of the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO).
Gluckman has made research contributions to the fields of perinatal physiology and biology, developmental neuroscience and neuroprotection, paediatric and experimental endocrinology, as well as at the interface between ecological, developmental and evolutionary biology as applied to human health. He is the only New Zealander elected to the
Institute of Medicine
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), known as the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineerin ...
of the
United States National Academies of Science, and is a Fellow of
Academy of Medical Sciences
The Academy of Medical Sciences is an organisation established in the UK in 1998. It is one of the four UK National Academy, National Academies, the others being the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society.
Its ...
of Great Britain.
Contributions to science advice and diplomacy
In June 2009, Gluckman was appointed as the first Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of New Zealand. This appointment was extended twice to end in June 2018. During this time, Gluckman made national and international contributions to
science advice,
science policy
Science policy is concerned with the allocation of resources for the conduct of science towards the goal of best serving the public interest. Topics include the funding of science, the careers of scientists, and the translation of scientific disc ...
, and
science diplomacy Science diplomacy describes how scientific exchanges and the cross-border collaboration of scientists or scientific organizations can perform diplomatic functions in the context of international relations. Most often this diplomacy happens as part o ...
. He established departmental science advisory roles in major departments, and this group has been increasingly used by Government as a formal process of advice on matters relating to evidence and policy. He was given the additional appointment of Special Science Envoy for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2010 to assist his role in science diplomacy.
Gluckman has explored extensively the principles of science advice through a blog, lectures, and in the scientific press. In 2012 he established and chaired the first formalised regional network of chief science advisors and equivalents of the
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Following the success of ASEAN's series of post-ministerial con ...
. He also established the Small Advanced Economies Initiative (SAEI) as a mechanism to bring together policy makers from small, advanced countries where science and innovation are core tools of development, to work collaboratively on shared issues and ideas. In 2013 he was requested by the International Council for Science (ICSU; now the International Science Council) to consider the development of an international network of science advisors. This led Gluckman to host and chair the inaugural Science Advice to Governments Conference, convened by the International Council for Science, in August 2014 in Auckland, New Zealand. It was the first global meeting of high-level science advisors, academies, and academics.
In June 2018, Gluckman stepped down from his role as the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor, and was replaced by
Juliet Gerrard. On 5 July he was elected to the position of president-elect of the
International Science Council
The International Science Council (ISC) is an international non-governmental organization that unites scientific bodies at various levels across the social and natural sciences. The ISC was formed with its inaugural general assembly on 4 July 20 ...
at its inaugural meeting in Paris.
In March 2020, Gluckman became the director of the newly established Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, a
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...
Faculty of Arts research centre.
In November 2022, Gluckman criticised the
National Party leader
Christopher Luxon
Christopher Mark Luxon (; born 19 July 1970) is a New Zealand politician and former business executive who has served as the 42nd prime minister of New Zealand since 2023 and as leader of the National Party since 2021. He previously served ...
's proposed Young Offender Military Academies, citing the failure of the previous
Fifth National Government's
boot camp programme for young offenders.
As Chief Science Adviser, Gluckman had published a report in 2018 where he concluded that boot camps and other "
scared straight" programmes did not work and instead increased crimes. Instead of boot camps, Gluckman advocated addressing juvenile delinquency and abuse through early intervention programmes, targeted mental health services, and complimentary services focusing on the
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
and
Pasifika communities.
In 2024, Gluckman chaired the Science System Advisory Group, which formed by
MBIE
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment ( MBIE; ) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with "delivering policy, services, advice and regulation" which contribute to New Zealand's economic productivity and business ...
to advise the government on strengthening New Zealand science, and chaired a similar
Ministry of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
group to give advice on the university sector.
Honours and awards
Gluckman is a Fellow of the
Royal Society of London
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, r ...
, an honour bestowed on just 42 New Zealand-born scientists since the Society's establishment in 1660. In 2001, Gluckman received New Zealand's top science award, the
Rutherford Medal.
In 2004, Gluckman was named as ''
The New Zealand Herald
''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand.
It has the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand, ...
'' New Zealander of the Year, also winning the KEA/NZTE World Class New Zealander Award in 2006.
In the
1997 Queen's Birthday Honours, Gluckman 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 ...
, for services to medicine. He was promoted to
Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to medicine, in the
2008 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 2008 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 29 December 2007, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2008.
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and ...
. In
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, following the restoration of titular honours by the New Zealand government, he accepted redesignation as a
Knight 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 (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for th ...
.
In the
2015 Queen's Birthday Honours, Gluckman was appointed a
Member of the Order of New Zealand
The Order of New Zealand is the highest honour in the New Zealand royal honours system, created "to recognise outstanding service to the Crown and people of New Zealand in a civil or military capacity". It was instituted by Royal warrant (documen ...
, the country's highest civilian honour, restricted to 20 living New Zealanders.
Gluckman received the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Award for Science Diplomacy, in 2016. In 2019 he was named New Zealand Communicator of the Year by BlacklandPR.
In 2022, he became a laureate of the
Asian Scientist 100
The Asian Scientist 100 is an annually published list of 100 prize-winning Asian researchers, academicians, innovators and business leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region and a range of scientific disciplines. Recipients "must have received ...
by the ''
Asian Scientist
''Asian Scientist'' is an English language science and technology magazine published in Singapore.
History and profile
''Asian Scientist'' was launched as a blog in March 2011 by Juliana Chan. The blog's popularity eventually led to a partnersh ...
''.
Books
*Gluckman, Peter; Hanson, Mark (2019)
Ingenious: The Unintended Consequences of Human Innovation Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press,
*
*
*
*
*
References
External links
The Liggins Institute website - Professor Sir Peter Gluckman bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gluckman, Peter
1949 births
Living people
New Zealand paediatricians
New Zealand Jews
Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit
New Zealand fellows of the Royal Society
University of Auckland alumni
Academic staff of the University of Auckland
University of Otago alumni
People educated at Auckland Grammar School
Recipients of the Rutherford Medal
Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand
Members of the National Academy of Medicine