Philippa Helen Gander is a New Zealand sleep researcher. In 2021, she was conferred with the title of

emeritus professor ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

Massey University Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural or ...

, where she had been inaugural director of the Sleep/Wake Research Centre until stepping down from that role in 2019.

Academic career

Gander wrote her master's thesis at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

in 1976 with the title ''A model for the circadian pacemaker of Hemideina thoracica derived from the effects of temperature on its activity rhythm''. After a 1980

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

titled ''Circadian organization in the regulation of locomotor activity and reproduction in Rattus exulans'' at the same institution, Gander took up a Fulbright Fellowship at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

in 1980. She moved to the

NASA-Ames Research Center The Ames Research Center (ARC), also known as NASA Ames, is a major NASA research center at Moffett Federal Airfield in California's Silicon Valley. It was founded in 1939 as the second National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) laborat ...

in 1983 as part of the flight crew fatigue and jet-lag research programme. Gander returned to New Zealand in 1998, and established the Sleep/Wake Research Centre at the

Wellington School of Medicine The University of Otago, Wellington is one of seven component schools that make up the University of Otago Division of Health Sciences. All University of Otago medical students who gain entry after a competitive Health Sciences First Year program ...

with the assistance of funding from the

Health Research Council of New Zealand The Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) is a Crown agency of the New Zealand Government. It is responsible for managing the government's investment in health research for the public good. The HRC was established under the Health Researc ...

. She moved to

and was appointed a full professor in 2003, and the research centre became part of Massey's newly established research school of public health. Philippa Gander ONZM investiture

In 2009, Gander was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

. In the

2017 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as pa ...

, she was appointed an

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

, for services to the study of sleep and fatigue. Notable students of Gander's include Leigh Signal, professor at Massey University.

Selected works

* * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gander, Philippa Living people New Zealand women academics Year of birth missing (living people) University of Auckland alumni Academic staff of Massey University New Zealand medical researchers Sleep researchers New Zealand women writers Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit Academic staff of the University of Otago