Director and Steering Committee
Dr Linn Hoffman, Director
Dr Linn Hoffman is the Director of the Ocean Acidification Research Theme.
Dr Hoffman's research focuses on the effect of different environmental stressors for marine phytoplankton physiology and ecology. She is mainly interested in the effect of climate change related stressors such as ocean acidification and ocean warming and the effect of trace metals (e.g. from volcanic eruptions), on marine phytoplankton and the implications for higher trophic levels of the food chain. She also works on biomechanical properties of diatom frustules and how they are affected by environmental conditions.
Email linn.hoffman@otago.ac.nz
Dr Kim Currie, Steering Committee
Dr Kim Currie is a Marine Chemist at NIWA, and a Steering Committee member of the Ocean Acidification Research Theme.
Dr Currie's research expertise is in the natural exchange of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and the ocean that is being perturbed due to the addition of fossil fuel CO2 to the atmosphere. Her research focuses on the spatial and temporal variability of the oceanic uptake of CO2, and the consequences of the changing marine carbon cycle.
Email kim.currie@niwa.co.nz
Professor Miles Lamare, Steering Committee
Professor Miles Lamare is kaiawhina (Māori student support liaison) in the Department of Marine Science, and a Steering Committee member.
Professor Lamare has research interests in marine ecology, population biology, marine invertebrate biology, and the ecology and physiology of marine invertebrate larval stages. He has an interest in Antarctic marine invertebrates, and how their physiology differs to temperate and tropical species, and the ecology of fiord invertebrate populations.
Email miles.lamare@otago.ac.nz
Dr Cliff Law, Steering Committee
Dr Cliff Law is a Principal Scientist in the Ocean-Atmosphere Group at NIWA,and a Steering Committee member. He has broad research interests in the interactions between ocean biota and marine and atmospheric chemistry. One research area focuses on the influence of climate change and ocean acidification on microbial production and biodiversity in the surface ocean.
Email cliff.law@niwa.co.nz
Dr Christina McGraw, Steering Committee
Dr Christina McGraw is a senior lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and has research interests in analytical and marine chemistry, my research revolves around the design of field-deployable instrumentation for marine ecosystems.
Email christina.mcgraw@otago.ac.nz
Research staff
The core group of academic staff and postgraduate students are located at the University of Otago but we work in collaboration with other New Zealand universities as well as governmental agencies such as NIWA.
Kim Currie
Scientist, NIWA Research Centre for Oceanography, with interests in CO2 chemistry of seawater using time series
Coastal People: Southern Skies research collaboration member.
Peter Dillingham
Department of Statistics, with interests in experimental design to measure consequences of global climate change on marine organisms
Coastal People: Southern Skies research collaboration member.
Chris Hepburn
Lecturer, Marine Science, with interests in kelp forest ecosystems and sub-tidal reefs
Coastal People: Southern Skies: Chris provides leadership to the research collaboration.
Linn Hoffmann
Lecturer, Botany, with interests in the effects of climate change on phytoplankton eco-physiology
Coastal People: Southern Skies research collaboration member.
Miles Lamare
Senior Lecturer, Marine Science, with interests in the physiological response of marine invertebrates to reduced seawater pH and hypercapnia
Cliff Law
Principal Scientist, NIWA Ocean and Atmosphere Group, with interests in interactions of ocean biota and atmospheric chemistry
Coastal People: Southern Skies research collaboration member.
Christina McGraw
Senior Lecturer, Chemistry, with interests in marine sensors and laboratory instrumentation
Coastal People: Southern Skies research collaboration member.
Judith Murdoch
Research Technician, Department of Chemistry, a member of New Zealand Ocean Acidification Observing Network
Malcolm Reid
Scientific Officer, Chemistry, with interest in apparatus and techniques for measurement of pCO2a and pH in seawater
Abigail Smith
Associate Professor, Marine Science, and Head of Department, with interest in eochemistry of shells, carbonate dissolution, biomineralisation
Research collaborators
NZOAR has a number of collaborators from research entities throughout New Zealand as well as affiliates abroad.
Helen Bostock
Geochemist, NIWA
Philip Boyd
Affiliate, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania
Catriona Hurd
Affiliate, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania
Norman Ragg
Research Scientist, Cawthron Institute
Mary Sewell
Associate Professor in Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour – University of Auckland
Postgraduate students
- Katerina Archilleos, Marine Science
- Evelyn Armstrong, Chemistry
- Denise Chen, Chemistry
- Rebecca Cumming, Marine Science
- Wayne Dillon, Chemistry
- Ian Dixon-Anderson, Marine Science
- Nadjejda Espinel, PhD Student, Marine Science
- Emily Hanson, Marine Science
- Habibeh Hashemi, Chemistry
- Hanneloor Heynderickx, Botany
- Anna Kluibenschedl, PhD Student, Marine Science
- Morgan Meyers, PhD Student, Botany
- Bryce Peebles, PhD Student, Marine Science
- Alexia Saint-Macary, Marine Science / NIWA
- Blair Thomson, Marine Science
- Jesse Vance, Chemistry
- Jess Wenley, Marine Science
Postgraduate research projects
Read about some of the work conducted by past postgraduate students:
Postgraduate research projects