Richard John Blaikie (born 25 August 1965) is a physicist who works in the field of nano-scale optics. He is currently Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) 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 ...

Early life

Blaikie was born in 1965 and attended Kaikorai Valley College in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

. He studied at the University of Otago (1984–1987) and graduated with a BSc (Hons) in physics. He won a Rutherford Memorial Scholarship to attend the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

(1988–1992), where he received a PhD in physics in 1992.

Academic career

After a year at the Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory, he took a position as a lecturer at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury (UC; ; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbur ...

. He was at Canterbury from February 1994 to November 2011, and he was made a professor during that time. In 2001, he was a

Fulbright Fellow The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people o ...

at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

. When the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology was formed in 2002, he was appointed Deputy Director under Professor Paul Callaghan. When Callaghan retired in 2008, Blaikie was appointed Director. During his tenure, the institute received a bequest of

NZ$ The New Zealand dollar (; currency sign, sign: $; ISO 4217, code: NZD) is the official currency and legal tender of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, the Ross Dependency, Tokelau, and a British territory, the Pitcairn Islands. Within New Zeal ...

1 million. Blaikie stepped down from the MacDiarmid Institute half way through 2011 when he received his appointment as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) at the University of Otago. He took up the role in December 2011, succeeding Harlene Hayne. He also holds a chair in physics. Blaikie received the T. K. Sidey Medal in 2001, set up by the Royal Society of New Zealand as an award for outstanding scientific research. In 2011, Blaikie was elected fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. In 2013, Blaikie received the

Hector Memorial Medal The Hector Medal, formerly known as the Hector Memorial Medal, is a science award given by the Royal Society Te Apārangi in memory of Sir James Hector to researchers working in New Zealand. It is awarded annually in rotation for different scienc ...

from the Royal Society "for his fundamental and wide-ranging contributions to the field of nano-optics, showing that light can be manipulated at scales much smaller than its wavelength and providing a world-first demonstration of a controversial superlens system using subwavelength techniques." The national ceremony for a range of Royal Society awards were held in the Dunedin Town Hall on 27 November 2013. In 2015, Blaikie was awarded the Thomson Medal for science leadership.

References

External links

Blaikie at the University of Otago
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blaikie, Richard 1965 births Living people People educated at Kaikorai Valley College University of Otago alumni Academic staff of the University of Otago Alumni of the University of Cambridge Academic staff of the University of Canterbury Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand New Zealand nanotechnologists 20th-century New Zealand physicists 21st-century New Zealand physicists