Student Research :

Carbonate Geochemistry and Sedimentology Group
Ocean Physics Group

Current and recent Student Thesis Topics

MSC STUDENTS

• Peter Batson: Bryozoan communities on the Otago mid-shelf - patterns of distributions.
• Paul Buisson: Enhancement of gonad quality in the New Zealand sea urchin Evechinus chloroticus fed combinations of artificial and natural feeds.
• Michael Bunckenburg: Reproductive biology of the sand dollar, Fellaster.
• Blair Davoren: Development of nutrition requirements of juvenile blackfoot abalone (Haliotis iris).
• Gail Dickie: (completed) Population dynamics of New Zealand fur seals and sea lions, and assessment of the impacts of incidental catch in fisheries.
• Sarah Donald: Taphony of Otago shelf molluscs.
• Lesley Douglas: (completed) Acoustic cencusing and behaviour of sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus, at Kaikoura.
• Samuel Dufresne: (completed) Abundance estimation of Hectors dolphin.
• Samuel Eccles: Cadmium removal in dredge oysters.
• Jason Fell: Field experiments on enhancing gonads of the sea urchin Evechinus chloroticus, in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand, using artificial and macroalgae species.
• Hamish Forrester: Quality assessment for paua: Improvement in storage techniques.
• Thomas Franklin: Use of underwater visual census for the qualitative observation of reef associated fishes in Otago.
• James Fyfe: Population biology and dynamics of Macrocystis pyrifera kelp beds on wave exposed offshore reefs in Otago.
• Bruce Gabites: Sediments and hydrodynamics of Bluff Harbour.
• Wiebke Finkler: The impact of whale watching on tourists.
• Patricia Haase: Social behaviour of bottlenose dolphins in Doubtful Sound, Fiordland.
• Tarius Haggood: Methodology for Marine Science education in indiginious cultures.
• Victoria (Kate) Hamilton: Stable isotope paleothermometry in New Zealand paua Haliotis iris.
• Rachel Haydon: Diver impacts on benthic species composition, Doubtful Sound, Fiordland, New Zealand.
• Alexandra (Jessica) Hjerpe: Interactions between paua and kina around Stewart Island.
• James Holborow: The diet of NZ fur seals in Southern New Zealand.
• Grant Hopkins: A study of the reproductive cycle and growth rates of the horse mussel, Atrina zelandica in Doubtful Sound, Fiordland, New Zealand.
• Takanori Kai: Reproductive and larval biology of black coral, Antipathes fiordensis.
• Ralf Kellmann: Bacteria as the source of paralytic shellfish toxins in New Zealand surf clams.
• Jolene Key: Growth and condition of Greenshell Mussels (Perna canaliculis) in Big Glory Bay, Stewart Island: Relationships to environmental parameters.
• Laszlo Kiss: Feeding ecology of black coral, Antipathus fiordensis and description of a new species copepod (Poecilostomatorida: Thamnomolgidal) pararitic on the black coral.
• Benjamin Knight: Coupled physical/biological model at Thompson Sound.
• Louise Kregting: The bathymetric distribution of black coral in Doubtful Sound.
• Callum Lilley: Growth heterogeneity in Haliotis iris : The effect of size grading, stocking, density and food availability on abalone growth rates.
• Helen McConnell: Population dynamics of New Zealand sea lions at the Catlins and Stewart Island.
• Nathan McNally: Population dynamics of the New Zealand sea lion of South Otago, the Snares and Campbell Island.
• Craig McVie: The ecophysiology of Enteromorpha intestinalis and Bachelotia antillarum in Waikouaiti Estuary, New Zealand.
• Sonja Miller: (completed) An investigation into the viability of a tuatua, Paphies donacina fishery off the Otago coast.
• Simon Muncaster: Formulation of an artificial diet for greenbone.
• Nicholas Naysmith: (completed) Role of photoperiod in conditioning of the New Zealand abalone Haliotis Iris and Haliotis australis.
• Kathryn Neill: Reproductive phenology of the red seaweed Gigartina lanceata: Population density, growth and chemistry in Otago, New Zealand.
• Claire Nesus: Water quality for abalone growth and survival
• Lisa Pagano: Macrobenthic community patterns and taxonomic resolution in Waikouaiti River Estuary.
• Helen Palmer: Monitoring changing Pacific Oyster conditon: correlations with environmental variables.
• Marcus (Quin) Rhinelander: Inter-pulse intervals: Acoustic measurement of sperm whale length.
• Oliver Rudd: Intertidal rocky shore community organisations in the South Island, New Zealand.
• Armagan Sabetian: Population dynamics of groupers in the Solomon Islands.
• Nigel Sidwell: (completed) Seasonal aspects to the diet of Toheroa, Paphies ventricosa.
• Debbie Steel: (completed) Population genetics of Astrobrachion constrictum in Fiordland, New Zealand.
• Russell Stock: (completed) Brooding and larval biology of the Bluff oyster, Tiostrea chilensis.
• Stephanie Thompson: Optimal diet for seahorse fly.
• Keryn Webb: The diving behaviour of pre-weaned New Zealand fur seal pups, Arctocephalus forsteri, Otago Peninsula, New Zealand

PhD Students

• Serean Adams: Cryopreservation of New Zealand abalone, Haliotis iris and Haliotis australis, gametes, embryos and larvae.
• Othman Bojo: Studies on New Zealand nanoplankton.
• Paul Brewin: Ecology of benthic communities in the deep basins of New Zealand fiords.
• Glen Carbines: The population ecology and reproductive biology of blue cod Parapercis colias.
• Simon Childerhouse: Population biology of New Zealand sealion Phocarctos hookeri.
• Vanessa Hernaman: Life history characteristics of five tropical gobiids (Teleostei: Gobiidae).
• Manel Dias-Wanigasekera: Growth, survival and protein turnover in Jasus edwardsii in response to nutritional regimes.
• Darrin Drumm: Impact of subsistence harvesting of reef flat organisms on marine community structure of Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
• Blair Gray: Characterisation of the ultrastructure and optical properties of Haliotis iris shell and pearls and the development of a suitable classification and grading system for marketing pearls.
• Nicole Goebel: Factors controlling primary production in Doubtful Sound.
• Oliver Gussmann: Oceanography and sedimentology of a tropical lagoon, southeast Viti Levu, Fiji.
• Craig Irwin: Effects of commercial harvesting on a population of Chione stutchburyi.
• Norhardi Ismail: Ecology of seagrass, Zostera novaezelandica in Otago Harbour.
• Weimin Jiang: Blue cod fisheries biology.
• N. M. Jahangir Kabir: Improved paua breeding for aquaculture.
• Georgina Knapp: Roe enhancement and the role of carotenoids in the sea urchin Evechinus chloroticus.
• Sultan Mahmud: Factors regulating reproduction in green shelled mussel, Perna canaliculus.
• Jean McKinnon: Aspects of the population biology of the southern Arrow Squid, Nototodarus sloanii..
• Sheryl Miller: Ecophysiology of Ecklonia radiata in Doubtful Sound.
• Dejereanne Ostrow: Genetic variation of the brachiopods in the New Zealand fiords.
• Cécile Perrin: Genetic differentiation of the sea urchin Evechinus chloroticus to test a hydrographic model of New Zealand's fiords that predict their identity to act as barriers to the dispersal of marine organisms.
• Christoph Richter: Impact of whale watching on sperm whales off Kaikoura.
• Rodney Roberts: Factors controlling larval settlement and post-larval survival/growth of New Zealand abalone.
• Dwi Eny Djoko Setyono: Reproductive biology and seed production techniques for the tropical abalone (Haliotis asinina) in Maluku waters, Indonesia.
• Renate Spooner: Molecular evolution of the cosmopolitan brittle star, Amphipholis squamata.
• Peter Stratford: Reproduction and growth of red coral Errina novaezelandiae from Fiordland, New Zealand.
• David Tung: The aquaculture of New Zealand seahorse.