Donald Dalglish McGregor (15 October 1938 – 17 September 2020) was a New Zealand scientist and research advisor.

Early life and education

McGregor was born and raised in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

to Roy and Elsie (née Hall). He married Marjorie (née Mauger) in

Timaru Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...

on Easter Monday, 1966. After having completed an MSc with first Class Honours at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

, he arrived in Dunedin in 1962 to work as a Research Officer in the Wellcome Medical Research Institute at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

, where he obtained his PhD in 1969. His early work focused on the

vascular system The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...

and the alleviation of

hypertension Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...

producing at least one classic paper (McGregor and Smirk, 1970) that was so well-regarded it was re-visited nearly four decades later. He also had a keen interest in mosquitoes, in particular Opifex fuscus (Naeroa) endemic around the New Zealand coast. The majority of his academic career was spent at the

. Despite his education in the medical school, he commenced a lecturing position in the Department of Zoology in 1968. He eventually progressed to a term as Head of the Department of Zoology (1980-1985), and as Dean of the Faculty of Science (1986-1988). By 1991 McGregor was Assistant Vice-Chancellor leading the newly created Division of Sciences.

Science adviser

McGregor was appointed chief scientist at the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology (MoRST) in 1992. He set up and managed the expert science panels established to inform government policies on

bovine spongiform encephalopathy Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, is an incurable and invariably fatal neurodegenerative disease of cattle. Symptoms include abnormal behavior, trouble walking, and weight loss. Later in the course of t ...

, the incursion and eradication of

tussock moth The Lymantriinae (formerly called the Lymantriidae) are a subfamily of moths of the family Erebidae. The taxon was erected by George Hampson in 1893. Many of its component species are referred to as "tussock moths" of one sort or another. The cat ...

as well as possum-spreading of

bovine tuberculosis Bovines ( subfamily Bovinae) comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including cattle, bison, African buffalo, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The evolutionary relationship betw ...

.Atkinson, P.H. and Wright, D.E., 1993. The formulation of a national strategy for biological control of possums and bovine Tb. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 20(4), pp.325-328.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGregor, Don 1938 births 2020 deaths New Zealand scientists University of Canterbury alumni Academic staff of the University of Otago Scientists from Christchurch