Radiata pine researcher receives FRST fellowship
Published by Communications and Development
8 September 2008
Dr Hema Nair was about to leave New Zealand for postdoctoral research when she received word that she had been granted a Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST) Postdoctoral Fellowship.
The fellowship, worth $273,000 over three years, means she can stay at the University of Canterbury and continue her investigations into radiata pine.
Dr Nair was one of 14 researchers nationwide to receive a FRST fellowship. It includes an annual stipend plus allowances for research costs and ongoing skills development.
“I was about to go for my postdoctoral assignment to the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, but the fellowship came through for me in the nick of time.”
Dr Nair said the fellowship would allow her to “grow as a scientist”.
“It is one fellowship where the candidate is given equal importance as much as the project is. The fellowship will give me an opportunity to foster collaborations with other labs abroad which are working in the same field and also the flexibility to use novel approaches to solve problems.”
Dr Nair is investigating spiral grain in radiata pine. Spiral grain is the inclination of wood fibres to the axis of a tree. Ideally the fibres should be parallel with the axis, as spiral grain of as little as five degrees significantly reduces the value of the timber, which twists and loses strength on drying.
Dr Nair will research whether different chemicals used in the forestry industry could be contributing to the formation of spiral grain.
Dr Nair’s research has potential to reduce the multi-million dollar losses sustained by NZ timber exporters as well as improve the intrinsic qualities of NZ-grown radiata pine, generating higher quality timber that will earn premiums in the international market.
Dr Nair’s research builds on earlier studies she has undertaken into wood quality and will use a tissue culture system she has developed that makes it possible to grow radiata pine wood in a laboratory Petri dish.
Dr Nair said she was grateful to Professor John Walker (Forestry), Dr David Collings (Biological Sciences), Lisa Shorey and John Duncan (Research and Consultancy), Michael Gschwendtner (Mechanical Engineering) and Matthew Journee from the Canterbury Innovation Incubator for their help in preparing the fellowship application. She also appreciated the support and encouragement she received from Emeritus Professor Brian Butterfield and Professor Paula Jameson (Biological Sciences).
For further information please contact:
Stacey Doornenbal
Communications Officer
University of Canterbury
Tel: +64 3 364 2987 ext 3809
stacey.doornenbal@canterbury.ac.nz