Professor Philippa Gander, ONZM of Wellington, for services to the study of sleep and fatigue.
Professor Gander is the Director of the Sleep/Wake Research Centre, which she established on her return to New Zealand, having been a Fulbright Fellow at Harvard Medical School and worked in NASA’s Fatigue Countermeasures Program. She has developed solutions to the health and safety challenges created by shift work, jet lag, and societal trends to restrict sleep. She has served as a scientific advisor to the International Civil Aviation Organisation, government agencies, industries and unions, and as an expert witness in accident investigation for the Courts. She is active in research and advocacy to improve the sleep health of New Zealanders and to reduce disparities therein. Professor Gander has advocated for creativity and innovation to find new, practical strategies to improve health and safety, and in cross-discipline arts/science collaboration.