Marsden Fund panels
Definitions of panels and details of panel members
There are ten discipline-based assessment panels which make funding recommendations to the Marsden Fund Council. The panels are made up of researchers who are experts in their field. They are appointed by the Royal Society Te Apārangi after being recommended by the Fund Council and usually serve for a maximum of three years.
On this page:
- Biomedical Sciences
- Cellular, Molecular and Physiological Biology
- Earth Sciences and Astronomy
- Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour
- Economics and Human and Behavioural Sciences
- Engineering and Interdisciplinary Sciences
- Humanities
- Mathematical and Information Sciences
- Physics, Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Social Sciences
- Social Sciences Fast-Start Panel
Biomedical Sciences (BMS)
Research related to human health and disease in: physiology, pathology, pharmacology, molecular biology, genetics, cell biology, microbiology; neurobiology (including animals as a model species for humans); human genomics and related bioinformatics.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Professor Colin Brown (Convenor) | University of Otago |
| Dr Sarah Baird | University of Otago |
| Dr Lisa Connor | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Dr Nikki Freed | University of Auckland |
| Associate Professor Edwin D. Hawkins | Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research |
| Dr Jonni Koia | Plant and Food Research |
| Dr Vanessa Morris | University of Canterbury |
| Associate Professor Pawel Olszewski | University of Waikato |
| Associate Professor Simon Swift | University of Auckland |
Cellular, Molecular and Physiological Biology (CMP)
Studies related to understanding the activities that occur in cells and tissues, and their integration within living organisms across the biological, agricultural and veterinary and biochemical sciences. This includes: plant physiology; animal physiology; cell biology; plant and animal genetics; molecular biology and molecular genetics; functional genomics and related bioinformatics; microbiology excluding microbial ecology; animal and plant pathology.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Professor Richard Newcomb (Convenor) | Plant & Food Research |
| Dr David Crossman | University of Auckland |
| Dr Nathan Kenny | University of Otago |
| Dr Laura Gumy | University of Otago |
| Associate Professor Colleen Higgins | Auckland University of Technology |
| Associate Professor Davide Comoletti | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Dr Heather Hendrickson | University of Canterbury |
| Dr Adele Williamson | University of Waikato |
Earth Sciences and Astronomy (ESA)
Including: geology; geophysics; physical geography; oceanography; hydrology; meteorology; atmospheric science; earth sciences; astronomy and astrophysics; also cross-disciplinary topics which include substantial components in some of these areas.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Professor Jan Lindsay (Convenor) | University of Auckland |
| Associate Professor Michael Brown | Monash University |
| Dr Giuseppe Cortese | GNS Science |
| Professor John Foden | The University of Adelaide |
| Associate Professor Adam Hartland | Lincoln Agritech, University of Waikato |
| Associate Professor Marwan Katurji | University of Canterbury |
| Associate Professor Leanne Morgan | University of Canterbury |
| Associate Professor Julia Mullarney | University of Waikato |
| Dr Phaedra Upton | GNS Science |
Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour (EEB)
Studies related to the interrelationships between organisms and their environment, evolution and behaviour. This includes: animal, plant and microbial ecology; biogeography; biodiversity; phylogenetics; systematics and evolution; population biology and genetics; animal behaviour; physiological plant ecology; biostatistics and modelling. Note that proposals seeking to establish the molecular basis of processes or traits are better sent to CMP or BMS panels, unless they materially concern the evolution of those processes or traits.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Professor Jacqueline Beggs (Convenor) | University of Auckland |
| Associate Professor Kim Handley | University of Auckland |
| Professor Simon Ho | University of Sydney |
| Dr Angela McGaughran | University of Waikato |
| Associate Professor Craig Radford | University of Auckland |
| Dr Alice Rogers | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Dr Simon Stewart | Cawthron Institute |
| Associate Professor Matthew Stott | University of Canterbury |
| Dr Paul Szyszka | University of Otago |
| Associate Professor Priscilla Wehi | University of Otago |
Economics and Human and Behavioural Sciences (EHB)
Including: economics; psychology (experimental, cognitive, neuro-); cognitive science; cognitive linguistics; archaeology; biological anthropology; business studies; commerce; management studies; marketing; communication science and demography.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Professor Chellie Spiller (Convenor) | University of Waikato |
| Dr Elham Bahmanteymouri | University of Auckland |
| Professor Tamlin Conner | University of Otago |
| Professor Helena Cooper-Thomas | Auckland University of Technology |
| Professor Paul Dalziel | Lincoln University |
| Associate Professor Bridgette Masters-Awatere | University of Waikato |
| Associate Professor Matthew Roskruge | Massey University |
| Dr Tirta Susilo | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Associate Professor Tim Thomas | University of Otago |
Engineering and Interdisciplinary Sciences (EIS)
Including: fundamentals of engineering (biomedical, bioprocessing, civil, chemical, electrical, electronic, environmental, materials, mechanical and robotics); and cross-disciplinary research relating to engineering.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Distinguished Professor Geoff Chase (Convenor) | University of Canterbury |
| Professor Brendon Bradley | University of Canterbury |
| Associate Professor Peng Cao | University of Auckland |
| Dr Jerome Leveneur | bspkl |
| Dr Hin Lim | University of Waikato |
| Associate Professor Khoon Lim | University of Sydney |
| Professor Melissa Knothe Tate | Blue Mountains Interdisciplinary Innovation Institute |
| Dr Filicia Wicaksana | University of Auckland |
| Professor Tracie Barber | University of New South Wales |
Humanities (HUM)
Including: English; languages; history; religion; philosophy; law; classics; linguistics; literature; cultural studies; media studies; art history; film.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Professor Cynthia White (Convenor) | Massey University |
| Dr Anita Brady | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Associate Professor Jane Buckingham | University of Canterbury |
| Dr Rebecca Kiddle | Te Wānanga o Aotearoa |
| Professor Jessica Palmer | University of Otago |
| Professor Diane Proudfoot | University of Canterbury |
| Associate Professor Linda Tyler | University of Auckland |
| Associate Professor Sarah Shieff | University of Waikato |
Mathematical and Information Sciences (MIS)
Including: pure mathematics; applied mathematics; statistics; operations research; logic; computer science; information systems; and software engineering.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Convenor | Vacant; TBA |
| Associate Professor Ting Wang | University of Otago |
| Professor Stephen Cranefield | University of Otago |
| Professor Clemency Montelle | University of Canterbury |
| Professor Andrew Mathas | University of Sydney |
| Associate Professor Michael Norrish | Australian National University |
| Professor Alan Fekete | University of Sydney |
| Professor Claire Postlethwaite | University of Auckland |
| Professor Felipe Voloch | University of Canterbury |
Physics, Chemistry and Biochemistry (PCB)
Including: materials science; physics; chemistry; biophysics, chemical biology and biochemistry.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Professor Penny Brothers (Convenor) | The University of Auckland / Australian National University |
| Associate Professor Jane Allison | The University of Auckland |
| Associate Professor Simone Ciampi | Curtin University |
| Professor Matthew Davis | The University of Queensland |
| Professor David Lupton | Monash University |
| Professor Sarah Masters | University of Canterbury |
| Professor Renae Ryan | The University of Sydney |
| Dr Jonathan Squire | University of Otago |
| Associate Professor Frederique Vanholsbeeck | The University of Auckland |
Social Sciences (SOC)
Including: sociology; Māori studies; indigenous studies; social, developmental, organisational, community and health psychology; social, cultural and human geography; social anthropology; education; urban design and environmental studies; public health; nursing; public policy; political science; socio-linguistics; architecture.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Distinguished Professor Emeritus Paul Spoonley (Convenor) | Massey University |
| Associate Professor Karyn Paringatai | University of Otago |
| Professor Michael Cameron | University of Waikato |
| Professor Marc Wilson | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Associate Professor Sophie Bond | University of Otago |
| Distinguished Professor Steven Ratuva | University of Canterbury |
| Associate Professor Alice Mills | University of Auckland |
| Dr Mona Krewel | Victoria University of Wellington |
Social Sciences Fast-Start Panel
Because of the large numbers of applications to the Social Sciences panel in previous years, preliminary Fast-Start SOC proposals will be assessed by a second panel. Proposals invited to the full application round will be assessed along with the Standard proposals by the full Social Sciences panel.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Professor Holly Thorpe (Convenor)* | University of Waikato |
| Dr Apisalome Movono | Massey University |
| Professor Te Kani Kingi | Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi |
| Dr Marcela Palomino-Schalscha | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Professor Sarah Riley | Massey University |
| Associate Professor Annabel Ahuriri-Driscoll | University of Canterbury |
* Goes to Social Sciences Standard panel at full proposal stage
TBC = to be confirmed. Not a complete list yet.
Potential Panellists
The Marsden Fund secretariat at the Royal Society Te Apārangi maintains a list of potential panellists. If individuals wish to signal their availability to serve on a Marsden Fund Panel in 2025 or beyond, they should contact Dr Rachel Averill at the Royal Society Te Apārangi with their contact details, affiliation, a clear preference for which panel they would be suitable for, and ideally a link to their institutional web page.
Panellists are appointed by the Chief Executive of the Royal Society Te Apārangi based on the recommendation of the Marsden Fund panel Convenor. Appointments are made on a year-by-year basis for each calendar year. Panellists must be experienced researchers in an appropriate field and may be drawn from outside New Zealand if necessary.
In considering the suitability of potential panellists, the following requirements for panel composition should be taken into account as appropriate:
- mix of discipline expertise;
- institutional balance;
- geographic representation; and
- diversity/gender balance.
Panellists may not apply as a named as Principal or Associate Investigators to the panel they are serving on in that year. The Royal Society Te Apārangi will call for nominations from interested parties. Individuals can nominate themselves or institutes can nominate staff to serve on panels. All nominations received will be passed on to the relevant Convenor for consideration.