In October this year we released our 2024 annual report, which showcased the significant impact our staff have delivered in the research, science and technology development space for the forestry, industrial biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing sectors.

We’re proud of what we’ve achieved, so we’re sharing some of those impact stories on our website over the holiday break – for your reading pleasure.

Principal Scientist Brian Richardson was awarded the Minister’s Biosecurity Award acknowledging his outstanding contributions to New Zealand Biosecurity. The award was presented by Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard in Wellington.

Sam Davidson was presented with the Forest Growers Research Young Scientist Award; recognising a promising young scientist who demonstrates passion, industry engagement, and communication skills

Serajis Salekin was presented with The New Zealand Institute of Forestry Chavasse Travel Award, supporting international travel to increase their and the forestry sector’s experience and knowledge.

Kiryn Dobbie was awarded the Australasian Plant Pathology Society Student and Early-Career Researcher Conference to support participation in the 2023 Australasian Plant Pathology Conference.

Rosie Sargeant was presented with the Forest Growers Research Award for Contribution to a Science Team at the 2023 Forest Growers Research Annual Conference.

Lisa Langer was presented with the Best Oral Presentation Award at the International Electronic Conference on Toxics for her presentation “Up-The-Pipe Solutions: A BestPractice Framework to Engage Communities in Reducing Chemical Contamination in Waste”.

Roya Rezanavaz received Kiwi Innovation Network Emerging Innovator Funding.

Science New Zealand Awards 2023

Our scientists were celebrated at the annual Science New Zealand awards for work to help cut industrial CO2 emissions, reduce microplastics in the environment, and connect Māori communities with research and science.

Early Career Researcher, Dr Bing Song. Bing joined Scion in 2019 and leads the Solid Biofuel Project while also mentoring colleagues, leading and supporting funding bids, and reviewing papers for journals in his field. Bing has produced 40 publications in his career so far (31 during his time at Scion), including three book chapters and 37 research articles. Of the 37 published papers, 32 have been in Q1 journals – the highestranking in a particular field.

Individual/Lifetime Achievement Award, Dr Tanira Kingi. Tanira’s more than 30-year career has covered management, consultancy, and academic positions across the primary sectors. Tanira (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Awa, Te Arawa) is a Climate Change Commissioner, an advisor to the Ministries for the Environment and Primary Industries and an independent research scientist. In his time at Scion, he worked collaboratively with teams across the organisation providing mentorship, and strategic advice while leading programmes in climate mitigation and land use change scenario modelling. In 2021 he was made an emeritus scientist at Scion.

Team Award – Microplastics Team. Scion’s microplastics team includes Dr Lloyd Donaldson, Beatrix Theobald, Ross Anderson, Ben Davy, Dr Kate Parker (project leader), Dr Robert Abbel, Anna de Lena, Maxime Barbier, Steph Davy, Dr Jamie Bridson, Queenie Tanjay and Regis Risani. They have been determining how much microplastic is in our environment, its source and environmental consequences. Their work has contributed to a wide range of projects including fundamental research, community engagement and outreach, and commercial projects which include determining the amount of microplastic in our food.