The New Zealand Institute of Physics (NZIP) announced the winners of three prestigious awards at the Institute’s biennial conference on 2 July 2025. The awards were presented by the NZIP President, Prof. Richard Easther.
The 2025 Dan Walls Medal was awarded to Professor Eric Le Ru (Victoria University of Wellington).
This biennial medal recognises the physicist working in New Zealand whose predominantly New Zealand-based research has had the greatest national or international impact.
Prof. Le Ru is a world leader in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), plasmonics, single-molecule detection and electromagnetic scattering. His pioneering bi-analyte SERS method provided the first unequivocal proof that SERS can detect single molecules, and his electromagnetic theory papers established the quantitative framework used across the field. His 2009 research monograph has become the standard global reference, while more than 145 subsequent publications have garnered over 15500 citations, including two classics cited in excess of 2500 times, making him one of New Zealand’s most-cited physicists. Spanning theory, experiment and commercialisation, Prof. Le Ru’s “100 % NZ-made” research has put Aotearoa at the forefront of SERS and plasmonics, underpinning emerging ultra-sensitive analytical and diagnostic technologies worldwide.
Te Tohu mō te Whaihua i te Mātai Ahupūngao – Physics Impact Award was conferred on Associate Professor Franck Natali (Victoria University of Wellington).
This biennial award honours an individual or team whose physics research delivers demonstrable benefit to Aotearoa New Zealand through commercial success, industrial uptake, or societal impact.
Assoc. Prof. Natali’s work exemplifies physics translated into high-value outcomes. Drawing on patented fundamental research from his laboratory, he co-founded Liquium Ltd., a deep-tech start-up developing novel catalysts to decarbonise ammonia production, which is one of the hardest-to-abate industrial processes. Liquium already employs six staff (three physics PhDs) and, in recognition of its potential to cut global emissions, Natali was selected as one of just ten inaugural Breakthrough Energy Fellows supported by Bill Gates, securing nearly NZ$2 million in international investment. Beyond Liquium, Natali has licensed thin-film electron-diffraction software to a US instrumentation company, partnered with superconducting-computing ventures SeeQC and Hypres, and, in his term as Wellington UniVentures’ first Innovator-in-Residence, guided multiple physics projects from laboratory proof-of-concept to patent protection.
Natali also drives impact through leadership and equity. As a former Deputy Director of the MacDiarmid Institute, he steered national collaborations on clean-technology materials. His Vision Mātauranga partnership with Whakarewarewa Thermal Village has united Māori knowledge and Western science to study geothermal colouration, producing joint publications and an invited presentation at the 2021 World Geothermal Congress. These achievements, spanning commercialisation, climate change mitigation, and kaupapa Māori engagement, mark Franck Natali as a physicist whose research delivers tangible, wide-ranging value to New Zealand.
NZIP President Prof Richard Easther (right) presented Associate Professor Franck Natali with the award at Victoria University of Wellington.
The 2025 Rutherford Trophy was awarded to Mark Conway (University of Auckland).
Established in 1973 to honour Ernest Rutherford’s insistence on “simple and clear demonstrations,” the trophy recognises innovation in physics education that deepens students’ understanding through hands-on experiments and performances.
For almost 25 years, Conway has transformed lecture theatres into scientific theatres. His signature demonstrations, from electrifying a gherkin to illustrate conductivity, to launching metre‑high arcs with a giant Jacob’s ladder, visualising sound with a flame-speaker, and choreographing Tesla coils, translate abstract principles into vivid, unforgettable experiences. Originally a secondary-school teacher, he now teaches across Auckland’s undergraduate curriculum, captivating thousands of students each year and inspiring many to study physics or become physics teachers themselves. Conway continually invents new demonstrations, maintains the famed “Conway Room” of home-built apparatus, mentors colleagues, and presents “Incredible Science” outreach shows, while supporting teachers nationwide through professional learning workshops. His blend of ingenuity, historical storytelling, and tireless generosity exemplifies the spirit of the Rutherford Trophy, making him an eminently worthy recipient of the 2025 award.
L to R: The Rutherford Trophy recipients: Tristan O’Hanlon (2024), Haggis Henderson (2023), Mark Conway (2025).