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Current postgraduate students


Lachie Davidge imageLachie Davidge

My research interests are in herpetology and ornithology; however, I hope to study or work on wolf behaviour and conservation sometime in the future. I prefer more applied ecology as it keeps me outdoors, active, and allows me to see the animals I love in their natural habitats. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, photography, snowboarding and weightlifting.

Course: Master of Science ( MSc )
Supervisor: Jo Monks (Zoology)
Email davla144@student.otago.ac.nz


Corey Denham imageCorey Denham

My MSc in Ecology will focus on the diversity of freshwater invertebrate communities on Stewart Island. I am particularly interested in the Theory of Island Biogeography, and using it to investigate how the species composition of invertebrate communities have changed since Stewart Island's isolation.

Course: Master of Science (MSc)
Supervisor: Gerry Closs (Zoology)
Email denco453@student.otago.ac.nz


IrelandLiam Ireland

New Zealand's native frog species are cryptic, with little known about them. My masters looks at the specifically the movements and dispersal ability of Hochstetter's frog (Leiopelma hochstetteri) using new techniques of marking and tracking. I aim to study at the movements of frogs in relation to habitat structure and weather as well as developing ways of following their movements and identifying them in the field.

Course: Master of Science (MSc)
Supervisors: Christoph Matthaei (Zoology), Stephanie Godfrey (Zoology), Jennifer Germano (DoC)
Email ireli721@student.otago.ac.nz


Bee on a yellow flower imageZhuali Lim

I'm studying pollination and nesting behaviour of native bees in Dunedin. Native bees are important insect pollinators despite their small densities. We have 28 native bees in New Zealand. However, we hardly understand them. Studying pollination behaviour of native bees gives us a better scope on conserving them from threats such as habitat destruction and intensive agricultural activities. If you know any potential nesting sites around the University Campus or in your property, please contact me.

Course: Master of Science ( MSc )
Supervisors: Sheri Johnson (Zoology) and Janice Lord (Botany)
Email limzh546@student.otago.ac.nz


Harvey Rubbo imageHarvey Rubbo

My research will focus on how introduced salmonids impact multiple species of native galaxiids on the West Coast. I am motivated to study this topic because both groups of fish provide culturally and economically significant fisheries to the West Coast, and their ecology is not well understood compared to in neighbouring Canterbury and Otago.

Course: Master of Science ( MSc )
Supervisor: Gerry Closs (Zoology)
Email rubha655@student.otago.ac.nz


Nathan Silcock imageNathan Silcock

I have an interest in freshwater systems as I was surrounded by lakes and rivers growing up, which led me to study Ecology in my undergrad. My master's will aim to look at New Zealand's freshwater shortfin and longfin eel species within wetland environments while working with local tangata whenua.

Course: Master of Science ( MSc )
Supervisor: Travis Ingram (Zoology)
Email silna882@student.otago.ac.nz


SteedsJacinta Steeds

My research aims to look at conservation management of rare species and communities of native plants in limestone environments where a certain level of disturbance may have been helping the plants to persist in the environment as opposed to inhibiting them. To do this I will be investigating changes at Earthquakes and Gard Rd, North East of Oamaru, using past photography and aerial images. I will also be implementing some manipulations at the study site such as peeling back the grass and monitoring what effect that has on the native species and communities.

Course: Master of Science (MSc)
Supervisors: Janice Lord
Email steja728@student.otago.ac.nz


Elliot Weir imageElliot Weir

I love our native reptiles and am interested in better understanding their role in our ecosystems, particularly their roles in plant reproduction. There is very little research on their roles as pollinators; in fact, no one has actually proven they do pollinate any plants. They are also important seed dispersers, and I am interested in how this differs across different plant species, different gecko species, and even different conservation programs.

Course: Master of Science ( MSc )
Supervisor: Steph Godfrey (Zoology)
Email weiel721@student.otago.ac.nz


Completed postgraduate students


LiuPluto Liu

I studied the biogeography of Antarctic terrestrial species using population genetic/genomic methods and GIS spatial analysis, in order to infer the long-term distribution, survival and evolution of those species. I looked at their distribution patterns across Antarctica and the relationship with environmental factors, especially temperature and ice cover (<0.5 per cent of Antarctica is free of ice, but those species have survived millions of years!).

Course: Bachelor of Science with Honours ( BSc (Hons))
Supervisors: Ceridwen Fraser (Marine Science), Fraser Morgan (Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research)


MathiasShar Mathias

I am fascinated by ecosystem-wide interactions and their relevance to conservation, and love learning about intricate connections between species. I particularly enjoy big data and using R to analyse datasets. My research aimed to get a better picture of the underlying factors driving beech tree (Nothofagus spp.) distributions in New Zealand and how climate change will affect this. Forests and alpine regions are some of my favourite ecosystems.

Course: Bachelor of Science with Honours ( BSc (Hons))
Supervisors: Matt Larcombe (Botany), Kath Dickinson (Botany)


Jack MathiesonMathieson

My interests growing up included fishing, swimming, tramping and anything outdoors. This lead me to studying Ecology at the University of Otago. I worked with an aquaculture company called Keewai that has aquaculture ponds of Paranephrops zealandicus (freshwater crayfish) among the unproductive riparian margins of forestry blocks. This led me to a masters project interested in finding out why some ponds are extremely productive compared to other similar ponds and how we can improve this to boost breeding, growth and survival of not just an ecologically important species but also an important mahika kai species.

Course: Master of Science (MSc)
Supervisors: Gerry Closs (Zoology)
Email matja092@student.otago.ac.nz


Amirah NorhayatiOsama image 2020

My masters looked at microplastics in New Zealand lakes. I conducted a mesocosm experiment and looked at whether microplastics are transferred through lake food webs and if trophic levels are directly or indirectly affected by microplastics. As well as this, I looked at fish behaviour in response to microplastic exposure.

Course: Master of Science (MSc)
Supervisors: Travis Ingram (Zoology), Christoph Matthaei (Zoology)


Myrene Otis Myrene Otis image 2020

I researched the movement and behaviour of two colonies of Tawaki/Fiordland Crested Penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus) breeding in Milford Sound. This project investigated the foraging ecology of Tawaki breeding in a fiord ecosystem and assess the significance of behavioural states and environmental variables in determining their foraging patterns.

Course: Master of Science (MSc)
Supervisors: Yolanda van Heezik (Zoology), Phil Seddon (Zoology), Thomas Mattern


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