Professor Shaun Hendy – Domain Convenor for Physical, Earth and Mathematical Sciences
Shaun was elected a Fellow of Royal Society Te Apārangi in 2012; he won the Callaghan Medal in 2012 and become a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to science in 2021.
Shaun is a New Zealand physicist, professor at the University of Auckland and Director of Te Pūnaha Matatini (TPM), a New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence. Led by Shaun, TPM's modelling work played a pivotal role informing the New Zealand Government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, for which they were awarded the 2020 Prime Minister's Science Prize.
Q: What inspired you to take on the role of Domain Convenor?
A: I have been a Fellow for nearly a decade now and have served on the Physical, Earth and Mathematical Sciences Evaluation Panel recently, so it was time for me bring some of that experience to the Domain and Academy Executive.
Q: What are some highlights in your career thus far?
A: The experience of the last year in leading the COVID-19 modelling programme will be very hard to top for me. It was incredibly demanding, but I had a wonderfully talented and committed team working alongside me and many supportive people in government, including our science advisors and a number of talented policy analysts. In many ways last year was the culmination of what we were trying to do in building Te Pūnaha Matatini. From the start, Te Pūnaha Matatini’s goal was to create an inclusive and diverse research community that could work on complex problems and issues by drawing on many different disciplines and lived experiences. This all paid off when we tackled COVID-19 last year, allowing us to do the right science for the right people at the right time. You can’t build that capability overnight or in response to a single issue. Being inclusive is also the right thing to do, so it is very satisfying to see that it delivers very powerful results.
Q: What will be your focus for your Domain area?
A: Given my experience in the last six years in leading Te Pūnaha Matatini, it won’t surprise anyone that I am keen to grow diversity in the Academy. I think this will take a very deliberate effort to look at excellence in all its forms and it has been very heartening to see the progress that the Academy and Te Apārangi has made on this over the last few years.
Q: What does life outside of your profession look like for you?
A: My wife and I enjoy long walks and hiking, but I also get out on my bike most weekends.