Keynote Speakers
Stay tuned for further updates!
Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles
One of the country ’s most recognised scientists, Dr. Siouxsie Wiles and her team make bacteria glow in the dark to find out what is making us sick with the aim of finding new medicines. Outside the lab, Siouxsie regularly appears on radio and TV to communicate science and deliver hard hitting facts. In 2019 she was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to microbiology and science communication. Prior to this, she has been honoured as a Blake Leader by the Sir Peter Blake Trust as well as winning both the Royal Society Te Apārangi Callaghan Medal and the Prime Minister ’s Science Communication Prize. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Siouxsie became one of the primary faces, communicators, and educators in NZ. This led to Siouxsie being named the supreme winner of the Stuff-Westpac Women of Influence Awards in 2020 and the 2021 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year. During this time, she was followed by a documentary-maker and the film Ms. Information will soon be playing at the New Zealand International Film Festival
Dr Jim Salinger
Dr. Jim Salinger CRSNZ, New Zealander of the Year 2024, is a distinguished international climate scientist, has dedicated almost fifty years to advancing climate science. Recognised as one of the first scientists to address global warming, his pioneering work in 1975 marked the inception of his career. Jim’s contributions include ground-breaking research on Southern Hemisphere climate change, earning him the prestigious NZ Science and Technology Medal in 1994. With over 190 publications and counting, Jim is an influential communicator on climate change, addressing audiences nationwide. He was a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. More recently, Jim has won the 2019 Jubilee Medal, in recognition of his lifetime achievements in climate and agricultural science. Today, he remains an advocate for environmental responsibility, offering practical advice through talks around the country.
Dr Peter Dearden, University of Otago
Professor Peter Dearden, Head of Department, Biochemistry, father of teenagers, and holder of multiple awards in communications and research excellence, is not only an outstanding contributor to international knowledge banks for genetics, but he is also passionate about outreach and making biotechnology discussion accessible to all. Peter has been a big part of Lab Box, the outreach to schools in our rohe, has engaged in sharing findings of his research on honey bees with the beekeeping industry and the public, and shared screen time with, among others, Jack Tame, to discuss the necessity for further conversation about the place of gene technologies in Aotearoa going forward. Peter’s research interests incorporate evolution and development; genome evolution, the evolution of development pathways, deep homology, and the evolution of animals. Peter Dearden is an Otago treasure and local teachers are lucky enough to visit his labs with their students. We are delighted that he has taken up the challenge to be the opening keynote speaker for SciCon Otago 2025.
Lucy Shieffelbien, National Poisons Centre
Lucy Shieffelbien is the Service Delivery Manager for the National Poisons Centre. For the past 24 years, she has been responsible for ensuring the National Poisons Centre delivers a high quality, safe and efficient 24 x 7 Poisons Information Service that is freely accessible to all New Zealanders. Lucy is very passionate about poison prevention and education and realises the value of knowing what to do in the unfortunate event that an exposure does occur. She undertook her fellowship training in poison prevention and education in the United States and has led a WHO funded project for strengthening capacity for managing poisonings in 5 Pacific Island nations (Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Cook Islands). Lucy is primarily responsible for the international marketing and commercialisation of the National Poisons Centre “TOXINZ Poisons Information Database”, which sees her travel to some very interesting and faraway places. In addition, she is an elected board member of both the Asia Pacific Association of Medical Toxicology and MedicAlert Foundation NZ and is a Trustee of the New Zealand Brain Tumour Trust.
