Dr Zhenan Jiang awarded Scott Medal in 2021 Research Honours Aotearoa
Dr Zhenan Jiang from the Robinson Research Institute was one of twelve academics from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington to be recognised in the 2021 Research Honours Aotearoa Awards, which are presented by Royal Society Te Apārangi and Health Research Council to celebrate outstanding achievements and excellence among New Zealand researchers.
Academics from New Zealand’s top-ranked university for intensity of high-quality research have been recognised for their contributions across a range of fields, including the social sciences, analytical chemistry, literature, climate change, and sustainability.
Te Herenga Waka Vice-Chancellor Professor Grant Guilford says, “With a passion for finding solutions to real-world problems, our staff pursue ambitious research that is designed to challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of new knowledge.
“It is a matter of immense pride that so many of our staff are being recognised as part of the Research Honours this year. These honours are Aotearoa New Zealand’s highest recognition for exemplary work in areas that can deliver transformative outcomes for the world we live in.”
The Scott Medal, which recognises outstanding contribution towards advancing a branch of engineering sciences, technologies, and their applications, has been presented to Dr Zhenan Jiang, a Principal Scientist at the Robinson Research Institute for his work on measuring and modelling the response of superconductors, leading to cost-effective superconducting machines.
High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) offer the promise of very low energy losses and increased power in electrical machines. Zhenan has developed the demanding measurement techniques required to understand the relationships between losses and fields, computational modelling to allow its prediction, and engineering methodologies to support its application. His work is allowing improvements to high-speed trains, aircraft motors and wind power generation.