1956-2012: 57 years of continuous service to microbiology in New Zealand

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Royd Thornton MAgrSc, PhD Co-Founder & President NZMS 1960-62 Elected to Honorary Membership: 1990

Royd Hare Thornton was born in Wellington in 1925 and educated at Wellington College, Victoria University and Lincoln College (MAgrSc). He then travelled to the UK where he graduated PhD from Nottingham University in 1952. He returned to NZ the same year and joined the DSIR's Soil Bureau as a soil microbiologist in the Biology Section, where he worked on the ecology of soil fungi. During this time he discovered the fungus which caused facial eczema in farm animals. In 1960 Royd joined the Tasman Vaccine Laboratory as Research and Development Executive Officer, a position he remained in until rejoining the Soil Bureau in 1961. There he again worked on soil fungi, investigating the ecology of root-inhabiting fungi of pasture plants. He was awarded a Fulbright Visiting Research Scientist award in 1965 and spent this time at the USDA research centre at Beltsville, investigating root exudates from plants and the effects of different soil atmospheres on root-inhabiting fungi. Royd was appointed Executive Officer for the Agriculture and Biology Group of DSIR in 1967, then in 1971 took up the position of Director of the Cawthron Institute, Nelson, where he shifted his work emphasis to microbial biochemistry, genetics and biotechnology, and microbially driven nutrient transfer in marine sediments. He was awarded the Bledisloe Medal by Lincoln University for contributions to science in 1977. He retired from the Cawthron in 1987. He was elected to Honorary Membership of NZMS in 1990.

 

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