Clockwise from top left: Professors Hugh Blair, Mick Roberts, Anne de Bruin, Andy Lock, Michael Bradbury, Michael Roche and Peter Kemp.
Massey University has announced seven new Professor Emeritus conferred by the Honorary Awards Committee. Professors Andy Lock, Michael Bradbury, Anne de Bruin, Peter Kemp, Hugh Blair, Mick Roberts and Michael Roche have all been awarded emeritus/emerita titles in recognition of their service to the university.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Jan Thomas says the recipients have all made a significant contribution to the university. “I’m incredibly proud that we have seven new emeritus/emerita professors within our ranks. These professors have not only contributed hugely to scholarship within their discipline, but have also made a continued contribution to Massey.”
The title of Professor Emeritus/Emerita is normally conferred on members of the professoriate upon retirement, who are recognised nationally as having been outstanding in their discipline and who have made an outstanding contribution to scholarship or the university, or both. They often maintain a continuing association with the university through, for example, short term contracts, research contracts, supervision of PhD students, mentorship and advice.
Professor Emeritus Andy Lock – School of Psychology
Professor Emeritus Andy Lock is recognised for his expertise across several fields and the calibre of his teaching and research. His contribution to scholarship includes more than seven books, more than 43 book chapters, 21 journal articles, 22 conference papers, 29 invited addresses, and being convenor or co-convenor of eight conferences.
Despite retiring in April 2016, Professor Emeritus Andy Lock has continued his association with Massey through continued research publications and seminar presentations.
Professor Emeritus Michael Bradbury – School of Accountancy
Professor Emeritus Michael Bradbury has been active in setting international accounting standards throughout his career, and has been recognised with a number of professional awards, including the Outstanding Contribution to Practice Award in 2001, and the Outstanding Contribution to Accounting and Finance Education Award in 2019.
Professor Bradbury joined Massey in 2006 and retired in December 2020, but currently still has three research projects, from theses, with junior staff that are progressing towards publication.
He has served on a number of editorial boards, and in a recent review of research in Australasia he was ranked in second place as the most prolific author, which contributed to Massey becoming the third ranked university in accountancy in Australasia.
Professor Emerita Anne de Bruin – School of Economics and Finance
Professor Emerita Anne de Bruin is recognised for her long-standing 44-year relationship with the university, and the significant contribution she has made during her tenure.
As founder and a director of Massey’s New Zealand Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research Centre, Professor de Bruin has a proven track record of bringing together researchers from Massey University and abroad, to bridge the academic-practice divide and collaboratively build an emergent scholarly field of research in social entrepreneurship and innovation and contribute to finding solutions to social challenges.
She has served on the University Research Committee, Doctoral Research Committee and Academic Board, and has held several leadership and governance roles in the Massey Business School and School of Economics and Finance.
Professor de Bruin retired in June this year.
Professor Emeritus Peter Kemp – School of Agriculture and Environment
Professor Emeritus Peter Kemp has received the honorary title for his contributions to research, primary industry development, postgraduate supervision teaching, and leadership at Massey. He is an internationally-renowned pastoral scientist who has published in excess of 300 scientific works.
During his time with Massey, Professor Kemp has been a supervisor or co-supervisor to 102 postgraduate students, a role he continues to do following his retirement in July this year.
Professor Kemp’s scientific expertise has been recognised by multiple industry, government and international agents and he has contributed to the development of strong links across Australia, South America and Southeast Asia that have attracted multiple postgraduate students and visiting researchers to Massey.
He is a much sought-after speaker by farmers for his applied science knowledge.
Professor Emeritus Hugh Blair - School of Agriculture and Environment
Since Professor Emeritus Hugh Blair began as a junior lecturer in 1976, his leadership, and research has led to his being internationally recognised as an expert in the field of animal breeding and genetics.
His research in developmental biology with the National Research Centre for Growth and Development led to over $4.5 million in research contracts for the university, and led to a productive period of research outputs that included 11 PhD students, 53 refereed journal articles and numerous invitations to national and international meetings.
Professor Blair has been prominent in establishing an international relationship with China which began with the signing of the first tripartite agreement between Peking University, Shihezi University and Massey University in 2005. He has published over 500 scientific works, including 336 peer-reviewed journal articles and 13 book chapters.
Professor Blair has been with Massey for 46 years, and plans to retire in April 2022.
Professor Emeritus Mick Roberts – School of Natural and Computational Sciences
Professor Emeritus Mick Roberts is one of the leading experts on the global spread and distribution of diseases using modelling by solving complicated coupled differential equations. He has been awarded four Marsden grants as well as a Health Research Council grant, on which he was principal investigator.
Professor Roberts was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2008, and fellow of the New Zealand Mathematical Society in 2015. Since beginning at Massey in 2003, he has held a number of leadership and supervisorial roles. He has also held visiting positions at Oxford University, Cambridge University, Utrecht University and Melbourne University.
Despite being set to retire in March 2022, Professor Roberts will continue his research projects and as a PhD supervisor.
Professor Emeritus Michael Roche – School of People, Environment and Planning
Professor Emeritus Michael Roche is being recognised as being one of the most influential and collegial contributors to the discipline of geography within New Zealand for several decades. He has made many significant contributions to the New Zealand Geographical Society (NZGS) over four decades, including developing the biological economies sub-field. In 2001 he was awarded life membership of the NZGS, and in 2010 was awarded the NZGS Distinguished New Zealand Geographer Medal, the highest award bestowed by the NZGS.
Professor Roche has been involved in most of the university’s committees at school, college, and university level. In 2017, he was awarded a rare Doctor of Literature, an academic title given to established and accomplished scholars.
Professor Roche has been with Massey since 1983 and intends to retire in February 2022.