Search Marsden awards 2008–2017
Search awarded Marsden Fund grants 2008–2017
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Fast-Start
Year Awarded: 2017
Title: Unpacking Opacity of Mind: How socio-cultural context shapes social cognition when minds are unknowable
Recipient(s): Dr RA McNamara | PI | Victoria University of Wellington
Public Summary: When trying to figure out why another person acts as they do, many think about what the other person might be thinking or feeling. These ‘mind reading’ inferences about others’ thoughts and feelings are so pervasive that they are often taken for granted. But in some small, traditional communities, social rules that guide everyday life encourage Opacity of Mind – beliefs that minds are unknowable. If minds are unknowable, does this lead to a fundamentally different way of thinking about people? Building upon my 5 years’ experience working with iTaukei Fijian communities that encourage Opacity of Mind, I will work with these communities to examine: 1) How easily and accurately participants identify another’s knowledge, beliefs, desires, and feelings; 2) How participants apply these inferences to predict and respond to behaviour; and 3) How children develop these tendencies. I will use descriptive anthropological methods to examine how participants conceptualize minds, behaviours, and the relationship between them. I will combine these with experimental methods to identify the cognitive mechanisms driving social understanding outside people’s awareness. Findings will help us understand how culture tweaks our minds to fit particular contexts, and how these tweaks help us fit in varied social environments.
Total Awarded: $300,000
Duration: 3
Host: Victoria University of Wellington
Contact Person: Dr RA McNamara
Panel: EHB
Project ID: 17-VUW-022
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Standard
Year Awarded: 2016
Title: Unraveling the key role of cytochrome bd oxidase in antimicrobial lethality in tuberculosis
Recipient(s): Professor GM Cook | PI | University of Otago
Professor KL Krause | PI | University of Otago
Professor H Michel | AI | Max Planck Institute for Biophysics
Public Summary: The emergence and spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis threatens to return us to the pre-antibiotic era for this disease. New research on Mycobacterium tuberculosis has revealed that the respiratory protein cytochrome bd is required for mycobacterial persistence during antibiotic therapy, leading to the hypothesis that cytochrome bd inhibition would provide a new pathway for the rapid treatment of tuberculosis. We will employ molecular biology and structural biology to address this hypothesis. Our findings may be applicable to other bacterial pathogens that use cytochrome bd to survive during infection and lead to a new class of compounds targeting bacterial respiration in host tissues.
Total Awarded: $825,000
Duration: 3
Host: University of Otago
Contact Person: Professor GM Cook
Panel: BMS
Project ID: 16-UOO-061
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Standard
Year Awarded: 2017
Title: Unraveling the molecular basis for vivax malaria's unhealthy attraction to human reticulocytes
Recipient(s): Dr BM Russell | PI | University of Otago
Dr R Chandramohanadas | AI | Singapore University of Technology & Design
Professor LCS Renia | AI | Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR)
Public Summary: Plasmodium vivax (Pv) is the most widely distributed and difficult to cure form of human malaria. Pv is certainly the most important cause of malaria in the Asia Pacific region. Difficulties in diagnosis, treating the dormant liver stage and the recent spread of drug resistant Pv have provided impetus for vaccine development against vivax malaria. The ability of Pv to cause disease is dependent on invasion of immature red blood cells (reticulocytes). How Pv identifies and invades reticulocytes remains unknown. We aim to identify the specific blood cell receptors and corresponding parasite proteins used to invade human reticulocytes. To do this, a proteomic shortlist of reticulocyte receptors will be targeted by neutralizing antibodies/knockdowns in Pv invasion assays. The identification of the reticulocyte specific receptors and corresponding ligands will aid in the development of vaccines against vivax malaria.
Total Awarded: $960,000
Duration: 3
Host: University of Otago
Contact Person: Dr BM Russell
Panel: BMS
Project ID: 17-UOO-241
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Standard
Year Awarded: 2010
Title: Unraveling the principles of genetic evolution
Recipient(s): PB Rainey | PI | Massey University
Dr EC Libby | AI | Massey University
Public Summary: Building an Extended Synthesis of evolution requires incorporation of development into the Modern Synthesis. This requires knowledge of the factors that affect the translation of mutation into phenotypic variation. Central to the translation process is the complex network of functional and regulatory connectivities that define the genotype-to-phenotype map. Theory predicts that this network of genetic interactions – the totality of development – constrains and channels evolution; restricts the pathways it takes and – by imposing limits to phenotype space – defines the rules by which it operates. The work outlined in this proposal uses a well-established and uniquely powerful experimental system to test the hypothesis that evolution proceeds via ‘pathways of least resistance’, that is, via those pathways that have the greatest capacity to translate mutation into phenotypic variation. Using a combination of genetics, genomics and mathematics, this proposal will generate insight into the workings of evolution and the rules underpinning genetic evolution. Together these insights will contribute toward the emergence of a richer and more predictive theory of evolution.
Total Awarded: $756,522
Duration: 3
Host: Massey University
Contact Person: PB Rainey
Panel: EEB
Project ID: 10-MAU-058
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Standard
Year Awarded: 2015
Title: Unravelling the complexities of socio-economic position (SEP) in the elderly
Recipient(s): Dr DJ Exeter | PI | The University of Auckland
Dr AC Lee | PI | The University of Auckland
Dr AK Rolleston | AI | The Cardiac Clinic
Professor N Kerse | AI | The University of Auckland
Public Summary: Measuring socioeconomic position (SEP) among the elderly is challenging, as individual-level data may be sparse, and educational and occupational norms change over time. Area-based deprivation indices use data that are often less relevant to those aged >=65. This research conceptualises the notion of individual SEP and deprivation among the elderly. Integrating geography and epidemiology, we use data from the Census and government agencies to develop new small-area deprivation indices specific to the elderly population and test for associations with health/social outcomes. We will inform theory, research and policy on healthy ageing in New Zealand and freely distribute our deprivation indices.
Total Awarded: $685,000
Duration: 3
Host: The University of Auckland
Contact Person: Dr DJ Exeter
Panel: SOC
Project ID: 15-UOA-222
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Fast-Start
Year Awarded: 2013
Title: Unravelling the magmatic processes responsible for phonolitic volcanism using the Mount Erebus lava lake and magmatic system
Recipient(s): Dr GJ Hill | PI | GNS Science
Dr HM Bibby | AI | GNS Science
Professor PR Kyle | AI | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Professor Y Ogawa | AI | Tokyo Institute of Technology
Professor PE Wannamaker | AI | University of Utah
Public Summary: Erebus volcano, Antarctica in New Zealand’s Ross Dependency, offers a unique opportunity to understand the internal workings of a volcano, the origin of alkalic magmas, and crustal rifting within West Antarctica. Erebus has the world’s only active phonolite lava lake in its summit crater, which provides a unique window into the heart of an active degassing volcanoes magma chamber. Phonolite magmas like that at Mt Erebus have been responsible for past devastating eruptions (e.g. Pompeii 79 AD; Tambora 1815). We will use magnetotelluric methods, developed by our team for use in Antarctica, to image the volcano and its underlying magmatic system. In addition we will map out the underlying rifted crustal structure and examine the mantle source of the magma. Petrologic models suggest Mt Erebus is undergoing fractional crystallisation of deep mantle derived parental basanite magma in crustal magma chambers. Mt Erebus is a model volcano that, in recent years, has provided important insight into magma evolution and crystallisation, volcanic degassing and eruptive mechanisms. Our magnetotelluric study will provide new insight into how the volcano works and our findings will have global implications to understanding volcanoes in general and their internal plumbing systems.
Total Awarded: $300,000
Duration: 3
Host: GNS Science
Contact Person: Dr GJ Hill
Panel: ESA
Project ID: 13-GNS-019
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Fast-Start
Year Awarded: 2014
Title: Unravelling the neural mechanisms of speech production: insights from EEG and fMRI in people who stutter
Recipient(s): Dr C Theys | PI | University of Canterbury
Dr T Melzer | AI | New Zealand Brain Research Institute
Professor M De Vos | AI | University of Oldenburg
Professor FH Guenther | AI | Boston University
Public Summary: The ability to communicate effectively is vital to a person’s health and wellbeing. For most people, speaking is an effortless process; but for those who stutter it is a daily struggle. After centuries of research, the cause of stuttering remains unknown; hence there is still no cure. While popular theories have related the origin of stuttering with psychological problems, recent studies have shown differences in brain function between those who stutter and fluent speakers, indicating a neural cause. However, we do not know what the identified differences in neural processing represent. Do they reflect the causal mechanism of stuttering, or should they be regarded as a consequence of stuttering?
This study intends to unravel these questions. For the first time, it aims to determine ‘where’ (i.e., which areas of the brain) and ‘when’ (i.e., across time) differences in neural processing occur between people who stutter and fluent speakers. From this information, we aim to develop a neurocomputational model capable of simulating the neural and behavioural characteristics of stuttering. We expect that our findings will identify the primary deficit in stuttering, which will pave the way for developing new treatments for stuttering.
Total Awarded: $300,000
Duration: 3
Host: University of Canterbury
Contact Person: Dr C Theys
Panel: EHB
Project ID: 14-UOC-033
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Fast-Start
Year Awarded: 2010
Title: Unravelling the role of the extracellular matrix in modulation of calcium signalling and contraction in the heart
Recipient(s): Dr ML Ward | PI | The University of Auckland
Public Summary: Cardiomyocytes are the 'working' cells of the heart, responsible for the synchronised contraction and relaxation that enables the heart to function as a pump, yet myocytes comprise only 25% of the total cell number. Most abundant are the fibroblasts that produce the various extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, and in close contact with every single myocyte are vascular smooth muscle, and their associated endothelial cells. Traditionally the ECM has been thought of as providing a mechanical scaffolding for force production in the heart. However, we believe it also modulates calcium handling within the myocytes, and that (bidirectional) signalling between cardiomyocytes and the ECM is essential for normal heart function. Our aim is to monitor intracellular calcium from multicellular heart tissue whilst sequentially dismantling the ECM with enzymes that target specific components. At different stages of matrix-myocyte disruption, the abundance and localization of key proteins, as well as myocyte structure, will be examined using immuno-cytochemistry. Endothelial cell-to-myocyte signalling will also be examined in intact tissue. This study will provide new insights into the cellular processes underlying contraction in the heart, potentially resulting in novel targets for development of drug treatment strategies for hearts on the road to failure.
Total Awarded: $259,130
Duration: 3
Host: The University of Auckland
Contact Person: Dr ML Ward
Panel: BMS
Project ID: 10-UOA-198
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Standard
Year Awarded: 2014
Title: Unravelling the unprecedented architecture of the NZ natural product portimine using molecular chess
Recipient(s): Professor MA Brimble | PI | The University of Auckland
Dr DP Furkert | AI | The University of Auckland
Professor MB Hampton | AI | University of Otago
Public Summary: Naturally occurring compounds (natural products) are “nature’s medicine chest” providing a rich source of lead compounds for the development of new pharmaceuticals. They comprise complex structures that pose a distinct synthetic challenge requiring unique strategies that can be compared to the logic and rationale of a chess game. Innovative synthetic methodology will be developed to synthesise the unprecedented structure of portimine, isolated in 2013 from marine algae collected in Northland. Successful synthesis of portimine will showcase our skills as molecular architects on the international stage and enable dissection of the molecular mechanisms that contribute to its intriguing bioactivity.
Total Awarded: $765,000
Duration: 3
Host: The University of Auckland
Contact Person: Professor MA Brimble
Panel: PCB
Project ID: 14-UOA-190
Fund Type: Marsden Fund
Category: Standard
Year Awarded: 2009
Title: Untangling complex evolution: when the Tree of Life is not a tree at all
Recipient(s): Dr BR Holland | PI | Massey University
Dr LD Shepherd | PI | Massey University
Dr KT Huber | AI | University of East Anglia
Professor VL Moulton | AI | University of East Anglia
Public Summary: Hybridisation plays a key role in explaining biodiversity. In particular it is thought to be very important during adaptive radiations where species rapidly colonise new niches and respond to new environments. Hybrid species inherit genetic material from 2 parent species, making them hard to detect when studying single genes. Fortunately, innovations in DNA sequencing now make it affordable to study many genes simultaneously. However, hybridisation is not easy to distinguish from other biological processes. This project will create the statistical methods and software necessary for evolutionary biologists to understand how prevalent hybridisation has been in shaping the New Zealand biota.
Total Awarded: $461,333
Duration: 3
Host: Massey University
Contact Person: Dr BR Holland
Panel: EEB
Project ID: 09-MAU-037