2020 Rutherford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships and Scholarships supporting early-career researchers announced

The 2020 Postdoctoral Fellows will be exploring a diverse range of research topics, including:

• Children’s involvement in management of their asthma as a chronic illness.
• Improving models for how snow and glacier melt water affects Aotearoa’s water quality and quantity.
• How global warming affects New Zealand snapper populations.
• Tracking interactions between magma and geothermal activity in the Taupō Volcanic Zone. 

The Rutherford Foundation Fellowships and Cambridge-Rutherford Memorial PhD Scholarships seek to build human capability in research, science and technology, including social sciences and the humanities. The funding opportunities support early career researchers who demonstrate a passion for research, and have a strong sense of the purpose and benefits of research to Aotearoa. Receiving a Rutherford Foundation award is expected to have a significant value in the future career development of the supported scholars and postdoctoral fellows and help them to establish a foundation on which to embark on an independent research career.

Royal Society Te Apārangi President Professor Wendy Larner FRSNZ said the Society was pleased to award fellowships and scholarships to these outstanding early-career researchers. 

“The Society seeks to support all New Zealanders to explore, discover and share new knowledge. We look forward to hearing what these talented researchers uncover with their research.”

For 2020, the Royal Society Te Apārangi Rutherford Foundation has announced seven Postdoctoral Fellowships and two Cambridge-Rutherford Memorial PhD Scholarships.

Two-year New Zealand Postdoctoral Fellowships have been awarded to:

Dr Julie Spray, The University of Auckland, Passive patients, active participants, or responsible self-managers? Children’s involvement in chronic illness management in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Dr Emily Greenbank, Victoria University of Wellington, Refugee and migrant employable identities in action.

Dr Alice Hill, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Improving New Zealand’s long term water security through advances in water quantity and quality forecasting.

Dr Tristan McArley, The University of Auckland, Tolerance to climate warming in New Zealand snapper (Chrysophrys auratus).

Dr Leighton Watson, University of Canterbury, Coupled seismic-acoustic-visual study of snow avalanche dynamics: a natural laboratory for understanding particle-laden gravity currents.

Dr Shane Rooyakkers, GNS Science, Tracking Magmatic-Geothermal Interactions in the Taupō Volcanic Zone.

Dr Alexis Marshall, University of Waikato, Unravelling the paradox of a globally invasive diatom.

The Rutherford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship will enable recipients to undertake full-time research programmes for 2 years within New Zealand in any area of research, science and technology, including social sciences and the humanities, at an eligible New Zealand research institution. Each year, the Fellow will receive a stipend of NZ$75,000 and NZ$10,000 (GST exclusive) to support direct and indirect research costs.

Two Three-year Cambridge Rutherford Memorial PhD Scholarship have been awarded to:

Jennifer Palmer, University of Otago, Investigating novel regulators of autophagy in neurodegenerative diseases

Amelia Cordwell, University of Auckland, Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics: Planet-Disk Interactions

The Cambridge-Rutherford Memorial PhD Scholarships are jointly funded by the Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trust (CCEIT) and the Rutherford Foundation. The Scholarship pays a living allowance as well as course and college fees to enable recipients to complete a PhD at the University of Cambridge.

The Rutherford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships and PhD Scholarships are supported by New Zealand government funding and administered by Royal Society Te Apārangi.

View more on the latest Rutherford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships and PhD Scholarship recipients