Professor Peter Gluckman's research focuses on what gives us a healthy start to life: understanding how a baby's environment between conception and birth determines its childhood development and life-long health - and the impact that this knowledge has for individuals and whole populations. His research has won him numerous awards and international recognition including Fellowship of the Commonwealth's most prestigious scientific organisation, The Royal Society (London). He is the only New Zealander elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science (USA) and the Academy of Medical Sciences of Great Britain.



In 2009 he became a Knight of the New Zealand Order of Merit replacing the 2008 Distinguished Companion of the NZ Order of Merit, for services to medicine and having previously been made a Companion of the Order in 1997. In 2001 he received New Zealand's top science award, the Rutherford Medal.



Professor Gluckman is an international advocate for science, promoting the translation of discoveries in biomedical research into improvements in long term health outcomes. His work with organisations such as the WHO has brought growing recognition of the importance of a healthy start to life. He is the author of over 500 scientific papers and reviews and editor of eight books, including two influential textbooks in his subject area.