25 Facts About Michael Plank

Michael John Plank was born on 1979 and is an English-born professor in mathematics and statistics at the University of Canterbury, and a principal investigator at Te Punaha Matatini.

Michael Plank's work has included developing and applying models to the balanced managing of fishing sites, revitalisation of endangered languages and invasive plant and weed impact.

Michael Plank has received several awards in recognition of contributions to the field of applied mathematics, particularly for his explanations of how mathematical modelling can benefit social and ecological environments and concerns.

Michael Plank grew up in Hathersage, an English village in the Peak District.

Michael Plank received a Bachelor of Science with honours from the University of Bristol in 2000, and, three years later, a PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Leeds.

Michael Plank took a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Canterbury at the beginning of 2004, attracted to New Zealand by his love of mountains and tramping.

Michael Plank liked the country's lifestyle and secured a position as a lecturer at the same university beginning in the 2006 academic year, rising to the rank of full professor.

Michael Plank is a principal investigator at Te Punaha Matatini, and since 2021, a Co-Lead for Covid-19 Modelling Aotearoa, an independent research programmed funded by the Ministry of Health.

Michael Plank has contributed to the debate about the limitations and possibilities for two different movement models: the composite correlated random walk; and the Levy walk.

In 2008, Michael Plank co-authored a review paper that explored the mathematics behind the random walks model used to understand the biological processes of the movement of animals, micro-organisms and cells.

In 2013, Michael Plank suggested there needed to be a change in the way fish were caught commercially.

In September 2020, Michael Plank co-authored an article on a study that had aimed to estimate inequities in COVID infection fatality rates in New Zealand by ethnicity.

Michael Plank explained that the more transmissible a variant of the virus was, the greater coverage of vaccine was needed, and once there were high levels of vaccination, the New Zealand borders could gradually be opened up.

In June 2021, when it was confirmed that a person infected with the Delta variant had visited Wellington, Michael Plank was one of several experts including Dr Jemma Geoghegan who was asked to comment on the variant.

Michael Plank said data from around the world showed that the virus could spread after just brief contact and it had the potential to grow exponentially and be difficult to contain with a lockdown.

When New Zealand went into full lockdown following a case of the Delta variant in August 2021, Michael Plank said this was the correct move because it allowed time to see results of testing and contact tracing and there was no clear link to the border.

Michael Plank noted that vaccination will slow the outbreak, but coverage was not high enough to have a significant effect.

On 13 December 2021, with the possibility of the Omicron variant reaching New Zealand, Michael Plank told Radio New Zealand that despite there needing to be more data to assess the severity of the variant, its high transmissibility and that it appears to more readily infect people already vaccinated, was a concern.

Michael Plank suggested there was a case to review plans to re-open the borders early in 2022, and that there would be a greater level of protections with higher numbers of people getting a booster dose of the vaccine.

On 4 July 2022, Michael Plank described the rapid spread of BA.

Michael Plank later said that maintaining health services and supply chains would require careful management of the isolation periods for those infected with Omicron and warned of the risk of people returning to work while still infectious.

Michael Plank is a member of the NZ Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor expert panel "Towards a vision for fisheries in New Zealand in 2040".

Michael Plank has been an active member of Australian and New Zealand Industrial and Applied Mathematics since 2010 when he was an Associate Editor for the ANZIAM Journal has represented ANZIAM on the Board of the International Council of Industrial and Applied Mathematics since 2016.

Michael Plank was the co-recipient, with Alex James, of the University of Canterbury Research Medal in 2021.

Michael Plank acknowledged that "the research was very much a joint effort involving a team of scientists who stepped up when they were needed most", and University of Canterbury Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation Professor Ian Wright said:.