Sir Paul Callaghan, a top New Zealand scientist who gained international recognition for his work in molecular physics, has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 64. "New Zealand has suffered a tremendous loss," Sir Peter Gluckman, Prime Minister John Key's chief science adviser, said in a statement Saturday.
"Paul has been our most distinguished public scientist and in the world of molecular physics has been a giant." Callaghan, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2008, was best known for his work with magnetic resonance, a field that has practical applications in everything from health care to industrial production. He was also known for his work on nanoscience, which involves studying properties of substances at the scale of the individual atom.
Callaghan won numerous accolades over his career, and was elected a Fellow to the Royal Society of London. In 2009, he was honoured with a knighthood and in 2011 was named New Zealander of the Year. An outspoken public intellectual, Callaghan argued in favour of commercialising science. In 2004, he founded Magritek, a Wellington-based company that used magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear magnetic resonance for industrial and research applications.
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