Kia ora and welcome to the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences.
Our Faculty, which includes the Departments of Anatomy, Biochemistry, Microbiology & Immunology and Physiology, undertakes world-leading teaching and research spanning basic, applied and clinical science.
We are a research-led Faculty, with an international reputation for excellence in research and research informed teaching. Our Faculty delivers much of the underpinning science that is increasingly vital to our health care professions and many other facets of our lives. This is a century that is being transformed by biological discoveries and the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences is the place to be if you wish to make a difference.
Want to change the world? So do we! Our staff and students are establishing new insights, diagnostic approaches and therapies that will help improve outcomes for many diseases and conditions. In addition, we work to enhance our productive sectors and undertake critical work that is fundamentally changing our understanding of the unique flora and fauna of Aotearoa New Zealand, helping to ensure the conservation of some of our most precious taonga (treasures).
Staff in the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences are active members of international consortia, National Science Challenges, Centres of Research Excellence and a variety of Science Platforms such as Genomics Aotearoa. In addition, we host University research centres and themes, including:
- Genetics Otago
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology
- Brain Health Research Centre
- Webster Centre for Infectious Diseases.
Our Faculty also has close links with our clinical schools, Te Whatu Ora Southern, Crown Research Institutes, (like AgResearch, Plant and Food, ESR and Callaghan Innovation), independent research institutes (such as Cawthron Institute and Malaghan Institute), industry, iwi partners and our broader community.
The Faculty is a leader in research-informed teaching, with multiple award-winning staff who are committed to providing our students with a world-class educational experience that delivers significant advantages in their careers and lives. We teach over 2,400 equivalent full-time students across a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in science, health sciences and humanities. Our students are supported by strong departmental programmes and Faculty activities.
Finally, the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences is also a happy, collegial and inclusive place in which to work, study, learn and thrive. We strive to be exceptional in all we do and this is built upon a foundation of manākitanga (a Māori concept of hospitality and the ethic of caring for others), so that we uplift our staff, students and the wider communities we serve, whilst achieving our ambitions. We are committed to upholding our obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and seek to support the goals of tangata whenua, our iwi partners, the goals and aspirations of our Pacific communities and others in our increasingly diverse society.
With enormous breadth and unparalleled research strength within New Zealand, our Faculty is the place to be! I look forward to welcoming you and supporting you on your journey with us.
Ngā manākitanga,
Professor Julia Horsfield
Head of Faculty