Outstanding professors who have retired from the University of Canterbury (UC) over the past year but continue to contribute and inspire have been acknowledged at a celebration event. Source: Timberbiz
UC has appointed seven Emeritus Professors in the last 12 months, including Alison Downard, School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Keith Alexander Department of Mechanical Engineering, Maan Alkaisi and Phil Bones, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dave Kelly, School of Biological Sciences, David Norton School of Forestry, and Rob Hughes, School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing.
Emeritus Professor is an honorary title awarded by the UC Council to retiring, long-serving professors who have made an outstanding contribution to their field.
Emeritus Professor David Norton, who retired from UC at the start of this year, has over 40 years’ experience in Aotearoa New Zealand ecology and conservation biology issues.
His research spans Aotearoa New Zealand’s native forests, conservation and management of threatened plants, and restoration ecology.
Over the last two decades, he has developed a strong relationship with the farming sector, working with farmers, the farming community and sector groups to promote biodiversity conservation and find ways to build this into farm management planning, and he has continued this work in his retirement.
Professor Norton has:
- Bachelor of Science (Honours) (University of Canterbury)
- Doctor of Philosophy (University of Canterbury)
- Linnean Society (Professional Organisation): Fellow
- New Zealand Ecological Society (Professional Organisation): Member
- New Zealand Institute of Forestry (NZIF) (Professional Organisation): Member
- New Zealand Plant Conservation Network (NZPCN) (Professional Organisation): Member
- Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) (Professional Organisation): Member
- Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) (Professional Organisation): Member
- Fellow of the Linnean Society of London
His research interests include conservation biology (especially fragmentation and restoration ecology, significance assessment and threatened plant conservation) and integrated land management (especially involving biodiversity in agricultural and plantation forest systems).
His current research focuses on integrating pastoral and biodiversity values in the South Island high country and includes projects looking at integrated management planning, habitat use by merino sheep, photo monitoring as a management tool, effects of different management actions on biodiversity.
Other research projects include assessing the effects of subsidence resulting from underground coalmining on podocarp-beech forest, mine-site restoration, and ecology, conservation and restoration of threatened plant species.
