Dr Bruce Campbell CNZM has been elected as a Companion of the Royal Society of New Zealand for sustained and outstanding leadership in advancing science and its application.

Dr Campbell is one of 13 new Companions – Ngā Takahoa a Te Apārangi – elected by the Council of the Society for decades-long contributions to science, technology, or the humanities.

Trained as an ecologist, he focused his research on understanding changes to environmental systems, then combined this with understanding of global markets and scientific innovation. His career has spanned climate science, governance in the food sector, and public health leadership.

As Chief Operating Officer of Plant & Food Research, he steered the sector’s response to the Psa outbreak in the kiwifruit industry, winning his team the Prime Minister’s Science Prize in 2017.

Dr Campbell contributed to the International Geosphere–Biosphere Programme and was a lead author of a report for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Through governance roles across a range of industries, including with Horticulture New Zealand and Predator Free 2050, he has advanced approaches that embed scientific evidence, technology, and mātauranga Māori to strengthen decision-making. In 2016 the Society awarded him the Thomson Medal to recognise his scientific leadership.

The new Companions will be formally inducted at a ceremony in Wellington on 7 October.

 Source: Royal Society of New Zealand