Honorary doctorate for Professor Sir Richard Faull

An honorary doctorate in Science from the University of Otago will be conferred on University of Auckland Centre for Brain Research director Professor Sir Richard Faull this week.

Acknowledging a long career in brain research, Professor Sir Richard (Ngāti Rāhiri and Te Āti Awa) will receive the prestigious degree and give the commencement speech at Otago’s graduation ceremony on Wednesday 11 December.

Since graduating from Otago Medical School in 1970, Sir Richard has become a leader in brain research nationally and internationally. Receiving the honorary degree is an “extraordinary honour of a lifetime”, he says.

“This is an incredible recognition which I’ve never sought or even contemplated in my wildest dreams. It has filled me with enormous humble pride.”

While studying at Otago Medical School, Sir Richard developed a lifelong passion for brain research. In 1967, he earned a Bachelor of Medical Science and three years later he completed a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. He gained a PhD at the University of Auckland, before undertaking further postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NASA’s Ames Research Center. In 1978, Sir Richard returned to Auckland’s Department of Anatomy.

Highlights of his career include establishing the Neurological Foundation Human Brain Bank and the Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland.

The brain bank collection allows researchers to study a range of human brain diseases, including Huntington’s, Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s, motor neuron disease, and epilepsy.

Sir Richard’s research has increased knowledge of Huntington’s disease, in particular. His work has revolutionised knowledge on the human brain by showing that, contrary to previous understanding, stem cells are still present in the adult brain and have the potential to make new brain cells and repair the brain throughout life.

Numerous awards and accolades have marked Sir Richard’s achievements. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand, a University of Auckland Gluckman Medal recipient, a distinguished professor, winner of the Liley Medal and of New Zealand’s highest scientific accolade, the Rutherford Medal. In 2017, he was appointed Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to brain research.

Sir Richard says his years at Otago were transformational, personally and professionally. “When I arrived at Otago, I was a naive, young Taranaki Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Rāhiri boy, so excited about the prospect of studying medicine, exploring human biology and following in the footsteps of my idol, Te Rangihiroa.

“As a third year Otago medical student, I saw the human brain for the very first time and couldn't believe its beauty and complexity. I was spellbound and overwhelmed when I was given the wonderful opportunity to interrupt my medical studies for a year to undertake brain research for a Bachelor of Medical Science degree.

“That year changed my life forever; I found a new brain pathway related to Parkinson's disease, presented my exciting findings to an Australasian Conference in Adelaide and my brain was on fire,” he says.

During that milestone year, Sir Richard met his future wife, Diana, and they went on to have five children and 11 grandchildren.

“Otago set me up for the most exciting life – one that I could never have imagined – pursuing the frontiers of brain research across the world and then back in Aotearoa,” he says.