Ngā tangata o Te Apārangi | Our People: Professor Elissa Cameron FRSNZ
In this month’s Member profile, we hear from Professor Elissa Cameron (Ngāi Tahu, Ōtākou), a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi.
Tell us about your day job and research interests
I am a Professor and Head of School at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha – the University of Canterbury's School of Biological Sciences. I am interested in individual variation in the behaviour of (mostly) mammals. I am fascinated by how individual variation arises and changes, and what the implications are for population dynamics and management. I use multidisciplinary approaches and weave a te ao Māori perspective through my research. While I work on a variety of behaviours and animals, I have a couple of themes that I keep returning to time and again:
- reproduction and reproductive variation
- social bonding and its impact on life history.
How long have you been a member of the Society and what has your involvement been?
I became a Fellow last year. I am now actively involved in a variety of committees. I have previously been involved in the Marsden Fund's Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour panel.
What has been a defining highlight of your career?
It is hard to pick one defining moment, as I have been very privileged to have had a diverse career. I have been fortunate to work with many amazing people, as well as fabulous animals in diverse landscapes. I guess a career is defined by these experiences and memories, but most importantly by the people that influence you and the influence you have on other people – He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata.