| Peter Molan | |
| Birth Name: | Peter Charles Molan |
| Birth Date: | 20 October 1943 |
| Birth Place: | Cardiff, Wales |
| Death Place: | Hamilton, New Zealand |
| Fields: | Biochemistry |
| Workplaces: | University of Waikato |
| Alma Mater: | University of Liverpool |
| Thesis Title: | Respirometric studies of the metabolism occurring in saliva |
| Thesis Year: | 1969 |
| Spouse: |
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Peter Charles Molan (20 October 1943 – 16 September 2015) was a New Zealand biochemist, noted for his elucidation of the medicinal properties of mānuka honey.
Born in Cardiff, Wales, on 20 October 1943,[1] Molan was the son of Vera Molan (née Boswell) and her husband Charles Molan. In 1963 Molan married Winifred Ruth Whitcomb in Cardiff.[1] [2] They migrated to New Zealand with their four children in 1973, and became naturalised New Zealanders in 1977.[1] Ruth Molan died in 1991, and Molan later remarried.
Molan studied at the University of Wales, graduating with a Bachelor of Science with honours in biochemistry in 1965.[3] He then undertook doctoral research at the University of Liverpool,[4] where he awarded a PhD in dental science in 1969.[3] His thesis was entitled Respirometric studies of the metabolism occurring in saliva.[5] A lecturer in dental science at Liverpool from 1968 to 1973, he took up a lectureship at the University of Waikato in Hamilton in 1973, and established the first biochemistry course at that institution.[4] [3] He rose to the position of professor of biological sciences (2003), and was the director of the Honey Research Unit at Waikato from 1995 until 2013.[4] [3] He retired from the University of Waikato in 2014.[3]
In 1981 Molan began to investigate the antiseptic properties of mānuka honey.[4] His research identified that mānuka honey has significant non-peroxide antimicrobial activity.[6] He went on to establish a grading system, known as the "Molan Gold Standard", for the quality of mānuka honey, based on the honey's methylglyoxal content.[7] He also investigated the use of honey as an aid to the healing of wounds.[8]
Over his career Molan wrote or co-wrote over 90 refereed scientific papers and seven book chapters, and gave over 60 conference presentations. He was co-editor of two books on the use of honey for wound management, was awarded several patents, and wrote numerous magazine and newspaper articles.[9]
In the 1995 Queen's Birthday Honours, Molan was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to the honey industry. In 2001 he was awarded a New Zealand Science and Technology silver medal by the Royal Society of New Zealand,[10] for "revolutionising the New Zealand honey industry and adding significantly to the value of their product."[4] He was twice honoured at the KuDos Hamilton Science Excellence Awards, receiving the inaugural science entrepreneur award in 2007,[11] and a lifetime achievement award in 2013.[12]
Molan died from cancer at his home in Hamilton on 16 September 2015.[4] [13]