Wikipedia

Priscilla Wehi

Priscilla M. Wehi(nee McCallum) is a New Zealandethnobiologistandconservation biologist.As at July 2021 she is an associate professor at theUniversity of Otagoand on the first of that month officially undertook the role of director ofTe Pūnaha Matatini,acentre of research excellencein complex systems and data analytics.[1][2]During theCOVID-19 pandemic in New ZealandTe Pūnaha Matatini scientists have developed mathematical models of the spread of the virus across the country that influence the New Zealand government's response to the outbreak.[3]In 2021 Wehi was awarded theHill Tinsley Medal.

Priscilla Wehi
Wehi and awētāin 2012
Education
AwardsRutherford Discovery Fellowship2014
Scientific career
Fields
  • Ethnobiology
  • Conservation biology
Institutions
ThesisHarakeke (Phormium tenax) ecology and historical management by Maori: The changing landscape in New Zealand(2005)
Doctoral advisor
Websitepriscillawehi.com

Education

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Wehi has a master's degree fromLincoln University,where she studiedbrushtail possums.[4]She undertook herPhDat theUniversity of Waikato'sSchool ofMāoriand Pacific Development.[5]Her doctoral thesis was entitledHarakeke (Phormium tenax) ecology and historical management by Maori: The changing landscape in New Zealand.[6]

Career

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After completing her PhD Wehi obtained positions at several research institutions including atMassey University(working withMary Morgan-Richards) and the University of Otago. She was then employed atManaaki Whenua Landcare Researchwhere she undertook research intowētā,[7][8][9]and advocated for the use of indigenous knowledge to inform research into biodiversity.[10]Wehi also led a team of researchers at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research andTe Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahuinvestigating Māori exploration of Antarctic waters.[11][12]Their research suggested that Māori were possibly the first people to sight the continent of Antarctica.[13]As at July 2021, Wehi is an associate professor at theUniversity of Otago.[14]

Awards

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In 2014 Wehi was granted aRoyal Society Te ApārangiRutherford Discovery Fellowship.[15]In 2019 Wehi was a recipient of the Outstanding Publication on New Zealand Ecology award, conferred by the New Zealand Ecological Society.[16]In 2020 the biological sciences department of theUniversity of Canterburyawarded Wehi their Inspirational Alumna Award.[17]In 2021 Wehi was awarded the Hill Tinsley Medal with the New Zealand Association of Scientists recognising Wehi's "pioneering innovative research at the intersection of science and indigenous knowledge".[18]

Selected publications

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References

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  1. ^"Māori among first to see Antarctica, research suggests".RNZ.9 June 2021.Retrieved1 July2021.
  2. ^"Complexity is at the heart of Te Pūnaha Matatini".www.tepunahamatatini.ac.nz.Retrieved1 July2021.
  3. ^"COVID-19 research from Te Pūnaha Matatini".www.tepunahamatatini.ac.nz.Retrieved1 July2021.
  4. ^McAllum, Priscilla (1996).Social rank, hormones and reproductive behaviour of male brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula): implications for biocontrol(Masters thesis). Research@Lincoln, Lincoln University.hdl:10182/2237.
  5. ^"Dr Priscilla Wehi: University of Waikato".www.waikato.ac.nz.Retrieved1 July2021.
  6. ^Wehi, Priscilla (2005).Harakeke (Phormium tenax) ecology and historical management by Maori: The changing landscape in New Zealand(Doctoral thesis). Waikato Research Commons, University of Waikato.hdl:10289/12664.
  7. ^"Māori nailed it: Kaiwētā is a tree on which wētā feast".Stuff.25 October 2020.Retrieved1 July2021.
  8. ^Wehi, Priscilla M.; Brownstein, Gretchen; Morgan-Richards, Mary (2020)."Indigenous plant naming and experimentation reveal a plant–insect relationship in New Zealand forests".Conservation Science and Practice.2(10): e282.Bibcode:2020ConSP...2E.282W.doi:10.1111/csp2.282.ISSN2578-4854.S2CID224865554.
  9. ^Wehi, Priscilla M.; Monks, Adrian; Morgan-Richards, Mary (2017). Tregenza, T. (ed.)."Male tree weta are attracted to cuticular scent cues but do not discriminate according to sex or among two closely related species".Ethology.123(11): 825–834.Bibcode:2017Ethol.123..825W.doi:10.1111/eth.12652.
  10. ^"Mātauranga Māori 'needed' to help fight the world's biodiversity crisis".Stuff.1 December 2019.Retrieved1 July2021.
  11. ^Bowler, Jacinta (7 June 2021)."New Research Shows Māori Traveled to Antarctica at Least 1,000 Years Before Europeans".ScienceAlert.Retrieved1 July2021.
  12. ^"Māori may have travelled to Antarctica as early as 7th century - report".Newshub.Retrieved1 July2021.
  13. ^"Māori may have been first to discover Antarctica, researchers say".TVNZ.Retrieved1 July2021.
  14. ^Centre for Sustainability (2021)."Associate Professor Priscilla Wehi".www.otago.ac.nz.Retrieved1 July2021.
  15. ^"Rutherford Discovery Fellowships awarded".The Beehive.Retrieved1 July2021.
  16. ^"Outstanding Publication on New Zealand Ecology".NZES.2021.Retrieved1 July2021.
  17. ^"Inspirational alumni".The University of Canterbury.2021.Retrieved1 July2021.
  18. ^"New Zealand Association of Scientists - Hill Tinsley Medal".scientists.org.nz.Retrieved15 November2021.
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Scholiahas a profile forPriscilla M. Wehi(Q59151449).
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