Profile
Microbiologist, Speaker, 2021 New Zealander of the Year
With her bright pink hair, Dr. Siouxsie Wiles is hard to miss! She’s one of the country’s most recognised and respected scientists, trained as a microbiologist. Siouxsie and her team make nasty bacteria glow in the dark to find out what’s making us sick with the aim of finding new medicines. She still can’t quite believe she gets paid to do it for a living. Outside the lab, Siouxsie regularly appears on radio and TV, working hard to smash the stereotypes people have about what scientists and leaders look like.
Siouxsie has been recognised many times for her amazing contributions to science and society in New Zealand. In 2019 she was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to microbiology and science communication. Prior to this, she has been honoured as a Blake Leader by the Sir Peter Blake Trust as well as winning both the Royal Society Te Aparangi Callaghan Medal and the Prime Minister’s Science Media Communication Prize. Most recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Siouxsie became one of the primary faces, communicators and educators in NZ. This led to Siouxsie being named the supreme winner of the Stuff-Westpac Women of Influence Awards in 2020 and the 2021 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year.
Location
Auckland, New Zealand
Social Links
Skills
Keynote Speaker, Panellist
Interests
Current Affairs, Health & Lifestyle, Research, Science
Testimonials (6)
Internal Vaccine Education Programme June/July 202Siouxsie presented a series of webinars to educate our staff about the COVID-19 virus, its impacts and the vaccine. Siouxsie was a wonderfully engaging and informative presenter. She took care to answer our questions fully and was able to explain complex information in an engaging way. This was a fantastic opportunity for us to learn more about the vaccine from an internationally recognised and engaging expert who is passionate about demystifying science. She was lovely to deal with along the way and we would certainly recommend her as a guest speaker.
Katy Ritchie | Senior Communications Advisor
Wise Group