Current Postgraduates
Our current postgraduate students in the School of Biological Sciences
Amy Alder
Supervisor: Bronwyn Kivell
Thesis title: Investigating the cell signalling and side effect profile of novel new opioid agonists
Pegah Amiri
Supervisor: Andrew Munkacsi
Thesis title: Translating the bioactivity of an ethanol adduct of Vescalagin in from yeast to human cells
Victor Anton
Supervisor: Heiko Wittmer
Thesis title: Analysing the factors seedling survival in the forest
Imogen Ashley
Supervisor: Simon Davy
Thesis title: Study of inositol in Aiptasia
Diana Atigari
Supervisor: Bronwyn Kivell
Thesis title: Evaluation of the behavioural and cellular actions of novel kappa opioid receptor agonists
Ramadian Bachtiar
Supervisor: James Bell
Thesis title: Functional redundancy in Indo-Pacific sponge assemblages
Frowin Becker
Supervisor: Heiko Wittmer
Thesis title: Using automated recorders to monitor wetland birds in Botswana's Okavango Delta
Sandeep Beepat
Supervisor: James Bell
Thesis title: Climate change impact, on tropical lagoon sponge
Chelsey Beese
Supervisor: Alice Rogers
Thesis title: Coral Reef Predators and their relation with structural complexity
Carl Beyers
Supervisor: Anne La Flamme
Thesis title: Evaluating immune cell phenotype and function in healing and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis patients treated with clozapine and risperidone
Matthew Biddick
Supervisor: Kevin Burns
Thesis title: Morphological and mutualistic changes in island flora
Katie Bigham
Supervisor: Ashley Rowden
Thesis title: Resilience of deep-sea benthic communities to turbidity flows following the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake
Manuel Blank
Supervisor: Jeremy Owen
Thesis title: Metagenome Mining for Novel RiPP Antibiotics from Unculturable Marine Micro-organisms
Imke Böök
Supervisor: Nicole Phillips
Thesis title: Effect of cliona sp. (a bioerosive sponge) on Ostrea chilensis
Kendra Boyes
Supervisor: Bronwyn Kivell
Thesis title: Myelin repair pathways in Multiple Sclerosis.
Phoebe Caie
Supervisor: Jeff Shima
Thesis title: Context dependent selective mortality of a tropical wrasse
Georgia Carson
Supervisor: Melanie McConnell
Thesis title: Mitochondrial DNA transfer to cells with mitrochondrial genome damage following bone marrow transplantation
Jasmine Chan-Hyams
Supervisor: David Ackerley
Thesis title: The use of Nitroreductases for biomedical purposes
Taylor Cooney
Supervisor: Gavin Painter
Thesis title: Formulation of self-adjuvating peptide vaccines
Rachel Crouthers
Supervisor: Pete Ritchie
Thesis title: Understanding and addressing the challenges to elephant conservation in populous Southeast Asia: Can small fragmented populations of Asian elephants survive in anthropogenic landscapes?
Thomas Dawes
Supervisor: Kevin Burns
Thesis title: Understanding the diversity and community ecology of New Zealand's epiphyte flora
Rebecca Dawson
Supervisor: Melanie McConnell
Thesis title: Mitochondrial transfer in glioma
Cintya Del Rio Hernandez
Supervisor: Andrew Munkacsi
Thesis title: Genetic interaction networks for atorvastatin studied in yeast and humans
Lisa Denny
Supervisor: Anne La Flamme
Thesis title: Investigating the mode of action of novel kappa opioid receptor agaonists in the treatment of multiple sclerosis
Sergio Diaz
Supervisor: Joe Zuccarello
Thesis title: Sympatric speciation in Cladophorales from Lake Baikal
Jana Dobelmann
Supervisor: Phil Lester
Thesis title: The effect of invasive Argentine ants on the virus community in pollinating insects
Daniel Donoghue
Supervisor: Rachael Shaw
Thesis title: How does innovation and information spread through kaka and kea populations?
Alison Duncan
Supervisor: Nicole Phillips
Thesis title: Intergenerational effects of multiple environmental stressors on offspring of the estuarine whelk Cominella glandiformis
Hamish Dunham
Supervisor: Janet Pitman
Thesis title: Multiplex Apta sensor for the quantitative detection of free amino acids
Elsie Dunkley
Supervisor: Wayne Patrick
Thesis title: Enzyme evolution in the context of cellular Metabolism
Michael Fairhurst
Supervisor: Monica Gerth
Thesis title: Drugs and drug targets of Phytophthora agathidicida
Elizabeth Farnham
Supervisor: James Bell
Thesis title: The potential impacts of climate change on calcifying sponges in a temperate region
Johannes Fischer
Supervisor: Heiko Wittmer
Thesis title: Integrated conservation of the Whenua Hou Diving Petrel
Mitch Ganley
Supervisor: Gavin Painter
Thesis title: Liposomal co delivery of neo-antigen vaccines and NKT cell agonist
Andrea Glockner
Supervisor: Nicole Phillips
Thesis title: Effects of multiple stressors on different life stages of kina
Savannah Goode
Supervisor: Ashley Rowden
Thesis title: Resilience of benthic seamount communities to fishing disturbance
Lucy Gorman
Supervisor: Simon Davy
Thesis title: The adaptability of corals to climate change
Gabrielle Greig
Supervisor: Joanna MacKichan
Thesis title: Neisseria meningitidis: metabolism and virulence
Kelsi Hall
Supervisor: David Ackerley
Thesis title: Directed evolution of nitroreductases
Natalie Hammond
Supervisor: Andrew Munkacsi
Thesis title: Identification and characterisation of protein-protein interactions mediating cholesterol transport in Niemann-Pick type C disease.
Benjamin Harris
Supervisor: James Bell
Thesis title: Carbon cycling of shallow and deep water temperate marine sponge assemblages
Sarah Herbert
Supervisor: Nicola Nelson
Thesis title: Can habitat enhancement improve the resilience of resident NZ native lizard populations
Peng Hou
Supervisor: Jeremy Owen
Thesis title: Discovery of new biologically active peptide natural products from uncultivated marine sponge symbionts
Lucy Huang
Supervisor: Monica Gerth
Thesis title: Microbial chemotaxis in the phyllosphere
Kate Isaac
Supervisor: Peter Pfeffer
Thesis title: Establishing a novel in-vitro culture system for cattle embryos
Aidan Joblin-Mills
Supervisor: Andrew Munkacsi
Thesis title: Identifying a novel suppressor of lipotoxicity from yeast to human
Nora Kandler
Supervisor: James Bell
Thesis title: Climate change impacts on sponges
Tanja Karl
Supervisor: Kevin Gould
Thesis title: The role of betalains in plant salinity tolerance
Gustav Kessel
Supervisor: Jonathan Gardner
Thesis title: Taxonomy and phylogeny of New Zealand soft corals: A revision of the genus Alcyonium using morphological and molecular data
Erik Krieger
Supervisor: Christopher Cornwall
Thesis title: Physiology of coralline algae under climate change
Hannah Lee-Harwood
Supervisor: David Ackerley
Thesis title: Investigating the potential of niclosamide for treatment of gram negative bacterial infections
Ox Lennon
Supervisor: Nicola Nelson
Thesis title: Mitigation translocation for conservation of New Zealand's skinks
Natascha Lewe
Supervisor: Julie Deslippe
Thesis title: Resource partitioning and community structure in the Rhizosphere
Ganges Lim
Supervisor: Kevin Burns
Thesis title: Signal honesty in bird-plant interactions
Alvey Little
Supervisor: Joanna Mackichan
Thesis title: Type IV Secretion and Effector Proteins of Bartonella quintana
Richard Little
Supervisor: Paul Teesdale-Spittle
Thesis title: The molecular mechanism of elf4A inhibition
Bobby Lust
Supervisor: Simon Davy
Thesis title: Nutritional fluxes and the adaptability of corals to climate change
Regan MacKinlay
Supervisor: Rachael Shaw
Thesis title: The ecological function and conservation applications of cognition in North Island Robins
Amir Mashini
Supervisor: Simon Davy
Thesis title: Nutrient transporters in Anthozoan Symbiosis
Christopher Matthews
Supervisor: Wayne Patrick
Thesis title: Creating Enzyme Based Bio-sensors to be Used in Winemaking
Kimberley Maxwell
Supervisor: Matt Dunn
Thesis title: Advising fisheries managers using ecosystems-based fisheries model that integrate stakeholder perspectives: a BOP Kahawai Fishery case study
Amber McEwan
Supervisor: Jeff Shima
Thesis title: Translocation Ecology of two species of threatened unionid
Vidette McGregor
Supervisor: Matt Dunn
Thesis title: Ecosystem model for Chatham Rise
Michelle McLellan
Supervisor: Heiko Wittmer
Thesis title: Understanding the dynamics of 2 small populations of Grizzly bears in British Columbia
Daniel McNaughtan
Supervisor: Jeff Shima
Thesis title: How selected larval processes shape temperate reef fish populations
Valerio Micaroni
Supervisor: James Bell
Thesis title: Understanding anthropogenic impacts on temperate sub-tidal benthic communities
Pauline Mitterwallner
Supervisor: Jeffrey Shima
Thesis title: Reproduction, patterns of movement, social dynamics and life history of the hermaphroditic wrasse th. hardwicke
Valeria Mobilia
Supervisor: James Bell
Thesis title: Environmental impacts on benthic communities
Fabio Mologni
Supervisor: Kevin Burns
Thesis title: Plant diversity on offshore islands in New Zealand
Charlotte Mortimer
Supervisor: James Bell
Thesis title: Trophic consequences of regime shifts towards sponge dominated reefs
Matthew Munro
Supervisor: Swee Tan
Thesis title: Cancer Stem Cells in Colorectal Cancer
La'tarsha Murray
Supervisor: Janet Pitman
Thesis title: Oocyte quality in dairy cows
Zak Murray
Supervisor: Janet Pitman
Thesis title: Development of novel aptamer-based biosensors for detection of small molecule, emerging organic contaminants in waterways
Eliatan Niktab
Supervisor: Andrew Munkacsi
Thesis title: Nonparametric Tests to Identify Gnomic Exacerbating Attributes in Mendelian Disorders
Vincent Nowak
Supervisor: Jeremy Owen
Thesis title: New methods for the discovery of natural products from understudied and uncultivated phyla
William Odey
Supervisor: Shalen Kumar
Thesis title: Novel strategies for selection of bioreceptors
Karen Oldfield
Supervisor: Irene Braithwaite
Thesis title: Clinical use of cannabinoids in New Zealand
Melanie Olds
Supervisor: Janet Pitman
Thesis title: Aneuploidy biomarkers in embryos
Tom Oosting
Supervisor: Peter Ritchie
Thesis title: Testing for fishing-induced evolution in New Zealand Snapper
Theresa Pankhurst
Supervisor: Lisa Connor
Thesis title: Targeting non-conventional T-cells as adjuvants for inducing B-cell responses
Yvan Papa
Supervisor: Peter Ritchie
Thesis title: Population genomics of NZ tarakihi
Hansa Patel
Supervisor: Elaine Dennison
Thesis title: Sporting activity and bone health in New Zealand adolescents and young adults
Sonali Pawaskar
Supervisor: Jonathan Gardner
Thesis title: Quantifying how man-made structures modify marine biodiversity
Tessa Peck
Supervisor: Anne La Flamme
Thesis title: Role of heparanase inhibition in Multiple Sclerosis pathology
Kef Prasit
Supervisor: Ian Hermans
Thesis title: Polyugient synthetic vaccines: combining a-wallner with TLR agonists
Calvin Quigley
Supervisor: Jonathan Gardner
Thesis title: Genetic connectivity of 3 Kaimoana species of the national scale
Tamayanthi Rajakumar
Supervisor: Andrew Munkacsi
Thesis title: Characterizing debiquitination as a modifier of Niemann-Pick C disease
Lorenzo Ravalo
Supervisor: Jonathan Gardner
Thesis title: Analysing introgression and hybridization of Mytilus galloprovincialis lineages through the use of molecular markers and shell morphology.
Charlotte Reed
Supervisor: Janet Pitman
Thesis title: Factors effecting oocyte quality in New Zealand Dairy Cows
Alberto Rovellini
Supervisor: James Bell
Thesis title: Modeling transition to sponge-dominated reef
Matthew Rowe
Supervisor: Melanie McConnell
Thesis title: Investigations of Intercellular Mitochondrial Transfer in Neural Cells by Applied Single Molecule Genotyping
Carolann Schack
Supervisor: Ken Ryan
Thesis title: Bryzoan taxonomy and morphology along ecological gradients
Sarah Sczelecki
Supervisor: Janet Pitman
Thesis title: Identifying Novel Biomarkers of Early Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
Megan Shaffer
Supervisor: James Bell
Thesis title: Population genetics and reproductive ecology of NZ sponges
Jeffrey Sheridan
Supervisor: Andrew Munkacsi
Thesis title: High throughput microscopy for drug development
Sven Sondhauss
Supervisor: Anne La Flamme
Thesis title: Characterisation of novel compounds for treatment of MS
Luke Stevenson
Supervisor: David Ackerley
Thesis title: High-throughput screening for the recovery and characterisation of new bioactive compounds from Metagenomic libraries
Matthew Storey
Supervisor: David Ackerley
Thesis title: Metagenomic based drug discovery from marine invertebrates
Francesca Strano
Supervisor: James Bell
Thesis title: Impacts of climate change on the reproductive ecology of sponges
Sergio Sudarsky
Supervisor: Nicole Phillips
Thesis title: Maternal effects in local whelk populations
Aleluia Taise
Supervisor: Joe Zuccarello
Thesis title: Macroalgal responses to climate change stressors: Effects of ocean accidifaction
Lee Ann Zandra Tejada
Supervisor: Wayne Patrick
Thesis title: Novel enzyme-based biosensors for yeast assimilable nitrogen
Giulia Trauzzi
Supervisor: Jonathan Gardner
Thesis title: Paua SNP development for monitoring recovery of paua populations affected by the Kaikoura earthquake
Anna Tribe
Supervisor: Melanie McConnell
Thesis title: Novel activity of BCL6 in glioblastoma
Noémie Valenza-Troubat
Supervisor: Peter Ritchie
Thesis title: Genomics of Trevally
Tas Vamos
Supervisor: Rachael Shaw
Thesis title: The influence of spatial memory ability on foraging and caching behaviour in North Island robins
Eric Van Dam
Supervisor: Heiko Wittmer
Thesis title: Predator-prey dynamics of a hyper-diverse system in Indonesian Borneo
Matire Ward
Supervisor: Janet Pitman
Thesis title: Investigating the effect of a physiologically relevant IVM system on the function of bovine cumulus cell-oocyte complexes
Elizabeth Webb
Supervisor: Elaine Dennison
Thesis title: A mixed methods study to evaluate the determinants of oral health of the ni-van people of Vanuatu
Julie Whitburn
Supervisor: Wayne Linklater
Thesis title: The role of connection to nature in children’s psychological wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviour: Assessing an environmental education intervention
Paul Wolf
Supervisor: Nicole Phillips
Thesis title: Biology, development and ecology of in New Zealand common serpulids and related biogenic reefs
Christopher Woolley
Supervisor: Nicola Nelson
Thesis title: Public motivation and lizard conservation in urban landscapes
Maggie Wuerz
Supervisor: Simon Davy
Thesis title: Volatilomics in Aiptasia-dinoflagellate symbiosis