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Increased number of projects funded and strong support for early career researchers

A total of 117 research projects have been allocated $65.2 million (excl. GST) of funding in this year’s Marsden Fund grants, which support New Zealand’s best investigator-initiated research in the areas of science, engineering, maths, social sciences and the humanities.

Kua piki te maha o ngā kaupapa kua whiwhi pūtea, tautoko hoki mō ngā kairangahau hou mai i te tahua pūtea a Marsden 2016
  • Kua piki te maha o ngā kaupapa kua whiwhi pūtea, tautoko hoki mō ngā kairangahau hou mai i te tahua pūtea a Marsden 2016

Mum, you are what your babies make you

Dr Cherie Blenkiron and Professor Larry Chamley, University of Auckland.
  • Dr Cherie Blenkiron and Professor Larry Chamley, University of Auckland.

Te tatau i ō tātau tūpuna i Aoteroa

Associate Professor Tahu Kukutai, The University of Waikato
  • Associate Professor Tahu Kukutai, The University of Waikato

Counting our tūpuna in Aotearoa New Zealand

Associate Professor Tahu Kukutai,The University of Waikato
  • Associate Professor Tahu Kukutai,The University of Waikato

Determining the potential of the corneal transition zone for corneal transplants

Dr Jie Zhang, Uni...
  • Dr Jie Zhang, University of Auckland

Hearing the difference: new strategies for listening in contemporary politics

Dr Emily Beausoleil, Massey University
  • Dr Emily Beausoleil, Massey University

Mā te pītauira tāmure e hura mārama mō te kunenga i ahu mai i te hao ika

Snapper. Photo from ...
  • Snapper. Photo from Meredith Lowe and Crispin Middleton, NIWA

Snapper DNA to shed light on fishing-induced evolution

Snapper. Photo from Meredith Lowe and Crispin Middleton, NIWA
  • Snapper. Photo from Meredith Lowe and Crispin Middleton, NIWA

Earthquake monitoring using fibre optic
  • Earthquake monitoring using fibre optic

The origin of UV photoprotection in melanin

Image of a fluorescent sample being excited by ultrafa...
  • Image of a fluorescent sample being excited by ultrafast laser. Photo VUW Image Services.

New nanotechnology to clean up waterways

The supercomputer used by Dr Garden; the Pan cluster oper...
  • The supercomputer used by Dr Garden; the Pan cluster operated by NeSI at the University of Auckland

Early Moriori and Māori Musical Instruments

Dr Jennifer Cattermole, University of Otago
  • Dr Jennifer Cattermole, University of Otago

How diet and exercise affect our cells

Reactive oxygen species (red) produced by muscle cells
  • Reactive oxygen species (red) produced by muscle cells

New Zealand’s new Chinese migrants and their multi-generational families

Dr Liangni Liu, Massey University
  • Dr Liangni Liu, Massey University

Sleeping to remember or sleeping to forget?

Dr Seehagen with her daughter and husband
  • Dr Seehagen with her daughter and husband

He pītauira mai i te tūtae – te hanga hou anō i ngā pūnaha rauropi onamata

Associate Profes...
  • Associate Professor Janet Wilmshurst FRSNZ working in the field

DNA from dung – reconstructing prehistoric ecosystems

Associate Professor Janet Wilmshurst FRSNZ...
  • Associate Professor Janet Wilmshurst FRSNZ and Dr Jaime Wood working in the field

Understanding Legionella in the plumbing

Dr Liping Pang, Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited
  • Dr Liping Pang, Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited

How do parasites brainwash their hosts?

Professor Neil Gemmell, The University of Otago
  • Professor Neil Gemmell, The University of Otago

Stretching the celluloid ceiling: women in the Pacific film industry

Dr Polly Stupples, Victoria U...
  • Dr Polly Stupples, Victoria University of Wellington. Photo Mikael Boulic

Researcher profile: Jodie Johnston, protein whisperer

Dr Jodie Johnston with their front cover sci...
  • Dr Jodie Johnston with their front cover scientific paper in the journal Structure with (from left to right) her Marsden Grant co-principal investigator Dr Ghader Bashi...

Ngā ngarue ohorere, nekenga pōturi rānei? Kua neke ngā horo raro moana

Dr Joshu Mountjoy on RV...
  • Dr Joshu Mountjoy on RV Ikatere. Tsunami hazard project off Kaikoura. Photo by Dave Allen

Submarine landslides on the move

Dr Joshu Mountjoy on RV Ikatere. Tsunami hazard project off Kaiko...
  • Dr Joshu Mountjoy on RV Ikatere. Tsunami hazard project off Kaikoura. Photo by Dave Allen

Your eyes: more than just windows to your soul

Professor Paul Donaldson, University of Auckland
  • Professor Paul Donaldson, University of Auckland

Why do inbred males fire blanks?

Dr Helen Taylor in her mobile lab
  • Dr Helen Taylor in her mobile lab

Journey to the Earth beyond Earth…

Associate Professor Michael Albrow, University of Canterbury
  • Associate Professor Michael Albrow, University of Canterbury

Bones under pressure

On the left is a femur from a normal mouse and on the right is a genetically ...
  • On the left is a femur from a normal mouse and on the right is a genetically engineered mouse with an alteration in a gene that constitutionally increases the density a...

Do glaciers drive diversity?

Sampling Ice Age moa bones, Gradungula Passage, Honeycomb Hill, Opara...
  • Sampling Ice Age moa bones, Gradungula Passage, Honeycomb Hill, Oparara Valley near Karamea. Photo credit Nic Rawlence, Jamie Wood, and Jeremy Austin

Why fly when you can walk?

Possible comparisons between flighted and flightless New Zealand rails....
  • Possible comparisons between flighted and flightless New Zealand rails. Image Steve Trewick

Exploring Māori social justice concepts

Dr Krushil Watene, Massey University
  • Dr Krushil Watene, Massey University

Te hōpara i ngā ariā ture pāpori Māori

Dr Krushil Watene, Massey University
  • Dr Krushil Watene, Massey University

Nano-containers for cell signalling

Graphic representation of a protein cargo inside self-assembli...
  • Graphic representation of a protein cargo inside self-assembling block co-polymer (polstyrene-b-ethylene oxide)...

The making of Māori society: an archaeological analysis of social networks

Obsidian and a dog bon...
  • Obsidian and a dog bone recovered during an excavation of Ahuahu (Great Mercury Island). This work is only possible due to a partnership with Ngati Hei

The mysterious disappearance of tūāhu

Professor Jeff Sissons and local leader Ato Fogier standin...
  • Professor Jeff Sissons and local leader Ato Fogier standing in front of a ruined Marae in Moorea

Using TB to understand communication within proteins
  • Using TB to understand communication within proteins

Advanced cryptography for software protection

Professor Steven Galbraith, The University of Auckland
  • Professor Steven Galbraith, The University of Auckland

Energy efficient super chips for computers

IBM’s on-chip optical networks. Image IBM
  • IBM’s on-chip optical networks. Image IBM

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