Search Marsden awards 2008–2017
Search awarded Marsden Fund grants 2008–2017
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Fast-Start
Year Awarded: 2008
Title: Aquatic ecosystem dynamics: size or species?
Recipient(s): Dr M Plank | PI | University of Canterbury
Dr A James | AI | University of Canterbury
Prof R Law | AI | University of York
Public Summary: This project will generate a new theory of aquatic ecosystem dynamics by bridging the two previously used approaches, namely food webs and continuous size spectrum models. Unlike previous work, the new theory will take account of both body size and species identity. The theory will be placed on a solid mathematical foundation by linking individual-based (stochastic) and population-based (deterministic) methods. This will enable the effects of random environmental variations to be investigated.
Total Awarded: $189,388
Duration: 3
Host: University of Canterbury
Contact Person: Dr M Plank
Panel: MIS
Project ID: 08-UOC-034
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Fast-Start
Year Awarded: 2009
Title: Are all individuals created equal? Testing Hubbell's neutral theory
Recipient(s): Dr G Lear | PI | The University of Auckland
Dr RS Etienne | AI | University of Groningen
Professor IP Thompson | AI | University of Oxford
Public Summary: In an attempt to understand the influence of speciation, birth, death and migration on the composition of ecosystems, Hubbell generated a simplistic theory of biodiversity and biogeography based on a central assumption that all individuals are equal on a per capita basis. Some recent studies have revealed that Hubbell's theory may provide a good description of community diversity across a broad range of spatial scales. So, are communities shaped largely by stochastic events, or are the forces of selection the principle drivers? Our research will use microorganisms as a model system to help resolve this controversial debate.
Total Awarded: $266,667
Duration: 3
Host: The University of Auckland
Contact Person: Dr G Lear
Panel: EEB
Project ID: 09-UOA-116
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Standard
Year Awarded: 2014
Title: Are genetic shifts in dispersal ability key to resolving the “paradox of the great speciators”?
Recipient(s): Dr BC Robertson | PI | University of Otago
Dr SM Clegg | PI | University of Oxford
Professor IPF Owens | AI | The British Natural History Museum
Public Summary: The “paradox of the great speciators” has puzzled evolutionary biologists for over half a century. A great speciator requires excellent dispersal ability to explain wide distributions, but reduced dispersal ability to explain high numbers of divergent, isolated forms. Rapidly changing dispersal abilities are assumed, but identifying a mechanism has proved elusive. We take a novel approach by examining genetic changes at “migration” genes in a great speciator (the Zosterops white-eyes). These genes were recently shown to switch migrants into year-round residents. These genetic switches may simultaneously affect dispersal and behavioural characteristics within populations and individuals leading to differentiation of populations, potentially leading to speciation. The white-eyes are an ideal study system as they contain over 80 species that have differentiated over hundreds to hundreds of thousands of years. They also display varying dispersal ability along the continuum from migratory to resident, with some populations containing both migrating and non-migrating individuals, allowing us to examine the genetic switches at the level of the population and individual. Our study will be the first to address the role that evolutionary shifts in genes associated with dispersal ability play in speciation and provide a resolution to an enduring paradox.
Total Awarded: $808,000
Duration: 3
Host: University of Otago
Contact Person: Dr BC Robertson
Panel: EEB
Project ID: 14-UOO-231
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Fast-Start
Year Awarded: 2008
Title: Are molecular metals like metals or molecules? A case study of superheated gallium clusters
Recipient(s): Dr N Gaston | PI | Industrial Research Ltd
Public Summary: Gallium is a poor metal, structurally composed of dimers. It has a very low melting temperature (30 C), below which it is known to supercool. On the other hand, small clusters of gallium have been observed to superheat to many hundreds of degrees Celsius. This is in contrast to what is expected for nano-particles: it is expected that the melting temperature should decrease with size. In order to explain this effect we need to understand the structural evolution that takes place in gallium clusters as the system evolves from the dimeric molecule towards the bulk metal.
Total Awarded: $266,667
Duration: 3
Host: Industrial Research Ltd
Contact Person: Dr N Gaston
Panel: PSE
Project ID: 08-IRL-004
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Fast-Start
Year Awarded: 2011
Title: Are old males still good males and can females tell the difference?
Recipient(s): Dr SL Johnson | PI | University of Otago
Assoc Prof JP Evans | AI | The University of Western Australia
Prof NJ Gemmell | AI | University of Otago
Public Summary: Females of many species choose to mate with old males rather than young males, presumably because they have proven survival ability that benefits offspring and female fitness. Paradoxically, sperm production and sperm quality decline with male age; thus females choosing old mates may suffer reduced pregnancy rates, and increased birth defects in offspring, lowering fitness. This apparent paradox has generated much interest, but whether this paradox actually emerges remains equivocal and contentious. Theory predicts that mechanisms will evolve enabling males to provide honest signals of their quality and that allow females to select the best mates from those available. However, past studies have found mixed support for this prediction, have invariably been observational and have failed to control for mating history, female age and other factors. Using a series of innovative, well-controlled, experiments in zebrafish we will determine how aging and mating history affect sperm function and female preference, thus whether old males are still good males and if females can tell the difference. Improved knowledge of how fertility alters with age and other life-history factors, and the mechanisms responsible may have important consequences for conservation efforts, breeding programs for agriculture and aquaculture, and treatment of infertility in humans.
Total Awarded: $300,000
Duration: 3
Host: University of Otago
Contact Person: Dr SL Johnson
Panel: EEB
Project ID: 11-UOO-139
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Standard
Year Awarded: 2013
Title: Armed to deliver: insight into the action of a microinjection nanodevice
Recipient(s): Associate Professor AK Mitra | PI | The University of Auckland
Dr MRH Hurst | PI | AgResearch
Dr JB Heymann | AI | National Institutes of Health
Public Summary: Nature has evolved sophisticated molecular machinery for specific biology. One such example is the multi-protein secretion systems that bacteria utilize to transfer effector molecules to confer survival advantage that can lead to pathogenicity towards other bacteria or eukaryotic hosts. These include cell based microinjection systems-an impressive example of evolutionary engineering that can form templates for design in contemporary nanotechnology. We aim to elucidate the functional mechanism of a novel “mobile” micro-injection device termed the anti-feeding prophage (Afp), a bacteriophage tail-like particle that is comprised of 18 different proteins. Afp, produced by the bacteria Serratia entomophila, delivers a protein toxin to kill the insect pest Costelytra zealandica. We will combine 3-dimensional structural studies using modern cryo-electron microscopy with molecular genetic techniques to reveal the organization and assembly underpinning the physiological function of Afp at the highest resolution. Based on the knowledge gained, we will expand our limited mechanistic understanding of such bacterial derived nano machines and extrapolate these results to other secretion systems that will guide design of innovative microinjection nanodevices e.g. for directed delivery of antigenic proteins in anti-tumor immunotherapy allowing for creative application beyond insect control.
Total Awarded: $765,217
Duration: 3
Host: The University of Auckland
Contact Person: Associate Professor AK Mitra
Panel: CMP
Project ID: 13-UOA-315
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Fast-Start
Year Awarded: 2010
Title: Artificial personality and democratic self-rule
Recipient(s): Dr RE Ekins | PI | The University of Auckland
Public Summary: In a democracy ‘the people’ are to be both rulers and the ruled. However, it is unclear how this is possible: most citizens cannot serve directly in government and decision-making by popular referenda may be incoherent and unreasonable. This project aims to explain how a community may exercise reasonable democratic self-rule by considering whether the state is an artificial person formed by members of the community, the acts of which are the acts of all citizens. Artificial personality is not a metaphor: complex groups, such as corporations, are groups of persons who act together in a way that is reasoned and coherent. This project will consider to what extent the state should be structured to be able to reason and choose like an ordinary person. It will also consider the institutional arrangements and social foundations that are necessary if the state is to be an artificial person and if this artificial personality is to make democratic self-rule possible. This study promises to explain how members of the community should jointly act to create and sustain a state that is responsive to the participation of citizens but also subject to the discipline of reason.
Total Awarded: $258,261
Duration: 3
Host: The University of Auckland
Contact Person: Dr RE Ekins
Panel: HUM
Project ID: 10-UOA-008
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Standard
Year Awarded: 2008
Title: Aspects of computability in algebra, model theory, and randomness
Recipient(s): Prof B Khoussainov | PI | The University of Auckland
Dr AN Nies | PI | The University of Auckland
Prof AM Montalban | AI | The University of Chicago
Public Summary: The investigators will study aspects of computability in algebra, model theory and randomness. These are fundamental topics in modern mathematical logic and computability. The first part of the proposal will contribute to the development of effective model theory by attacking some of the outstanding problems in the area. The goal is to understand the effective content of results in model theory by exploring the limits of computations, space and time. The roots of this area go back to the work of Malcev and Rabin in the 50s. The second part will address long standing open problems in the field of algorithmic randomness. The fundamental concepts here are the notion of Kolmogorov complexity and its variations. These notions are central in the theory of randomness and applications. Both investigators are leaders in the proposed topics and have contributed to solutions of hard problems in computable model theory and randomness.
Total Awarded: $368,889
Duration: 3
Host: The University of Auckland
Contact Person: Prof B Khoussainov
Panel: MIS
Project ID: 08-UOA-187
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Standard
Year Awarded: 2010
Title: Astrocytes: a new cellular target for central nervous system gene therapy
Recipient(s): Assoc Prof D Young | PI | The University of Auckland
Dr PA Lawlor | AI | The University of Auckland
Dr AI Mouravlev | AI | The University of Auckland
Public Summary: To date, gene therapy strategies for neurological diseases have been based on the manipulation of neuronal function. However there is now increasing evidence that astrocytes, the support cells for neurons, can alter their function in response to brain insults and release toxic agents that can kill neurons. Astrocytes, prevalent and dysfunctional in the diseased brain are an attractive cellular target for new gene therapies but the tools needed to enable genetic manipulation of astrocytes have not been available. We have recently discovered a novel gene delivery vehicle derived from an adeno-associated virus (AAV) that can exclusively transfer genes of interest to astrocytes. The aim of this proposal is to determine whether our AAV vector can be used as a tool to manipulate astrocyte function for gene therapy purposes and gene function studies. We use a rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD) in these proof-of-principle studies to investigate the contribution of altered astrocyte function to PD progression and evaluate a gene therapy strategy for PD based on overexpression of the neuroprotective gene Nurr1 in astrocytes. This research addresses an unmet need for an astrocyte targeting vector for clinical applications and if successful, will have major implications for human gene therapy.
Total Awarded: $717,391
Duration: 3
Host: The University of Auckland
Contact Person: Assoc Prof D Young
Panel: BMS
Project ID: 10-UOA-202
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Fast-Start
Year Awarded: 2011
Title: Attacking the grand challenge of a verifying compiler
Recipient(s): Dr DJ Pearce | PI | Victoria University of Wellington
Prof A Mycroft | AI | University of Cambridge
Public Summary: Software failures in critical systems are often catastrophic. Infamous NZ examples include: the Tiwai Pt aluminium smelter shutdown caused by software error, costing an estimated $1 million; and, the Gisborne hospital software error, which was undetected for over 2 years and caused patient’s details to be incorrectly displayed.
Prof. Sir Tony Hoare recently proposed the creation of a verifying compiler as a grand challenge for Computer Science. A verifying compiler 'uses automated mathematical and logical reasoning to check the correctness of programs it compiles'. In other words, software developed using a verifying compiler will have significantly fewer errors than if developed by traditional means.
Despite several decades of research, the ideal of a verifying compiler has not been realised. The primary reason is that modern languages make the task infeasibly difficult. We will take a novel approach to the problem. Instead of building on existing languages, as others have done, we will design a compact language from scratch. This will sacrifice features and performance to simplify verification. The key challenge is to carefully balance the need for realism with the need for dramatic simplification. In particular, the resulting system must be capable of implementing realistic benchmarks.
Total Awarded: $300,000
Duration: 3
Host: Victoria University of Wellington
Contact Person: Dr DJ Pearce
Panel: MIS
Project ID: 11-VUW-123