Professor Sir Graham Le Gros, of Wellington, KNZM for services to medical science
Sir Graham became Deputy Chair of the Malaghan Institute in 2025. While Director from 2014, he more than doubled the size of the Institute to more than 130 staff and grew its operating budget from $7.5 million to more than $30 million in 2024. His leadership in the securing of significant funding and maintenance of long-term partnerships nationally and internationally has enabled the Institute to lead nationally significant research programmes with global relevance to improve human health. Since 2014, the Institute has developed major new programmes in cancer immunotherapy, vaccine development, inflammatory disease and RNA technologies, and a focus on translational science from laboratory to clinic. His leadership in bringing CAR T-cell therapy to New Zealand to build the Institute’s cancer immunotherapy expertise and capability has been a defining achievement of this period.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he played a key role in driving the development of domestic vaccine capability, and under his leadership the Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand was established. He has remained an active and respected research scientist internationally, leading a research programme in allergic and parasitic diseases. Sir Graham has supported regional equity and capability, guiding emerging research organisations, and has helped shape a new generation of scientific leadership in New Zealand.