Richard Faull


Sir Richard Lewis Maxwell Faull is a New Zealand neuroscientist and academic who specialises in human neurodegenerative diseases. He is a professor of anatomy and director of the Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland.

Biography

Faull grew up with four brothers in Tikorangi, Taranaki, where his parents, Phyllis Thelma Faull and Wilfred Lewis Faull, had a general store. He attended the University of Otago, earning a Bachelor's of Science in 1967 and a Bachelor of Medicine in 1970. He followed that with a PhD in neuroanatomy and Doctor of Science in neuroscience, both from the University of Auckland. Faull and his wife, Diana, have five children.

Research

Faull is noted for his research into brain diseases, particularly Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. In 2007, his team at the University of Auckland proved that the brain can repair itself by generating new cells, debunking the theory that, once fully formed, the human brain could only degenerate. In 2009, he established the University of Auckland's Centre for Brain Research, to facilitate interactions among different groups and to promote new treatments for brain disease.

Honours and awards

In 2005, Faull was awarded the Health Research Council of New Zealand's Liley Medal and was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to medical research, in the 2005 Queen’s Birthday Honours. In 2007, he was awarded the Rutherford Medal by the Royal Society of New Zealand. In the 2017 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to medical research.