| George Petersen | |||||
| Birth Name: | George Bouet Petersen | ||||
| Birth Date: | 5 September 1933 | ||||
| Birth Place: | Palmerston North, New Zealand | ||||
| Death Place: | Dunedin, New Zealand | ||||
| Module: |
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| Fields: | Biochemistry | ||||
| Workplaces: | University of Otago | ||||
| Doctoral Students: | Diana Hill | ||||
| Education: | University of Otago (MSc) University of Oxford (MA, DPhil) | ||||
George Bouet Petersen (5 September 1933 – 11 July 2021) was a New Zealand biochemist.[1] [2] He is regarded as the father of DNA research in New Zealand.[3]
Born in Palmerston North on 5 September 1933, Petersen was the son of Elizabeth Stella Osberta Petersen (née Cairns) and George Conrad Petersen.[4] [5] He was educated at Palmerston North Boys' High School, and went on to study at the University of Otago, graduating with a Master of Science with second-class honours in 1956.[4] [6] He then undertook postgraduate study at the University of Oxford, earning Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.[4] A notable doctoral student of Petersen at the University of Otago was Diana Hill.[7]
On 16 April 1960, Petersen married Patricia Jane Egerton Caughey, and the couple went on to have four children.[4]
Petersen was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1985.[8] He was also a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry.[4] In the 1997 New Year Honours, he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the community.[9] In 2003, Petersen received the Rutherford Medal, the most prestigious award given by the Royal Society of New Zealand.[10]