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Postgraduate research opportunities in the Division of Sciences

Why is pounamu tough? Using materials science and mātauranga Māori to explain the special physical properties and uses of nephrite jade

Supervisors
Professor Dave Prior, Associate Professor Anne Ford, Dr Kc Li, Dr Simon Cox and Dr Nick Mortimer (GNS Science)
Levels
Honours, Master’s

The Southern Ocean’s carbon sink through the last glacial cycle (funded with stipend)

Supervisors
Professor Claudine Stirling, Associate Professor Helen Bostock, Dr Karin Kvale, Dr Matthew Druce
Level
PhD

Cognitive modelling using large-scale multimodal data analysis

Supervisors
Associate Professor Jeremiah Deng, Dr Narun Pat
Levels
Honours, Master’s, PhD

Algae and Arsenic in Drinking Water: The Good and the Bad

Supervisors
Dr Candace Martin, Professor Claudine Stirling, Dr Evelyn Armstrong , Dr Alex McAlpine
Levels
Master’s, PhD

The Effect of Solar Tsunamis on New Zealand's Energy Grid

Supervisor
Professor Craig Rodger
Level
PhD

Iron inputs to the Ross Sea, Antarctica in a warming world

Supervisors
Professor Claudine Stirling, Professor Cliff Law, Dr Matt Druce, Professor Michael Ellwood (ANU)
Level
PhD

Plumbing system controls on the eruption patterns at Taranaki Volcano

Supervisor
Dr Marco Brenna
Levels
PhD, Master’s

Wapouri / Mount Horrible, South Island’s youngest volcano

Supervisor
Dr Marco Brenna
Levels
PhD, Master’s

Meteorite research at Otago

Levels
PhD, Master’s, Honours, Postgraduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate

Metamorphism in Zealandia

Supervisor
Associate Professor James Scott
Levels
PhD, Master’s, Honours, Postgraduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate

Research topics on Earth's mantle

Supervisor
Associate Professor James Scott
Levels
PhD, Master’s, Honours, Postgraduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate

Reconstructing Southern Ocean productivity and carbon cycle dynamics in the Neogene

Supervisors
Dr Christina Riesselman, Associate Professor Chris Moy
Level
PhD

Dual-comb spectroscopy – resolving optical precision electronically

Supervisor
Associate Professor Harald Schwefel
Level
PhD

Sport and alcohol policy

Supervisor
Professor Steve Jackson
Levels
PhD, Master’s, Postdoctoral

Disrupting the pathway to suicidal thinking and behaviour in adolescents and young adults

Supervisor
Associate Professor Richard Linscott
Levels
Honours, Master’s, PhD

Disruption of timing and sequencing mechanisms in a model of schizophrenia

Supervisor
Professor David Bilkey
Levels
Honours, Master’s, PhD

Is a Cryptic Late Cretaceous Suture Hidden in the Otago Schist?

Supervisors
Dr Mike Palin, Emeritus Professor Alan Cooper
Level
Master’s

Environmental geochemistry at modern and historic gold mines in Otago

Supervisors
Associate Professor James Scott, Dr Cathy Rufaut
Levels
Postgraduate Diploma, Honours, Master’s, PhD

Age and metamorphism of the lower crust of the North Island and South Island, NZ

Supervisor
Associate Professor James Scott
Levels
Postgraduate Diploma, Honours, Master’s, PhD

Wall-rock alteration in gold deposits in Westland, NZ

Supervisor
Associate Professor James Scott
Levels
Postgraduate Diploma, Honours, Master’s, PhD

Thermal and isotopic evolution of an exhumed accretionary prism: Otago Schist, New Zealand

Supervisors
Associate Professor James Scott, Professor Graham Pearson, Dr Nick Mortimer
Levels
Honours, Master’s, PhD

Evolution of the Paterson Inlet sedimentary basin, Stewart Island

Supervisors
Associate Professor Andrew Gorman, Dr Christina Riesselman, Dr Chris Moy
Levels
Postgraduate Diploma, Honours, Master’s

Volcanism in Central Otago

Supervisors
Dr Marco Brenna, Professor James White, Dr Christian Ohneiser
Level
Master’s

Tracing gold mineralization and associated heavy-metal pollution using lead isotopes

Supervisors
Dr Candace Martin, Professor Claudine Stirling
Level
Master’s

Provenance of sand and mud in turbidites using detrital zircons and neodymium isotopes

Supervisors
Dr Candace Martin, Dr Mike Palin
Level
Master’s

Trace elements in freshwater bivalve shells as records of water quality

Supervisor
Dr Candace Martin
Levels
Honours, Master’s

Cloud and distributed systems security

Supervisor
Associate Professor David Eyers
Levels
PhD, Master’s

Large-scale data science

Supervisor
Associate Professor David Eyers
Levels
PhD, Master’s

Time-series database systems

Supervisor
Associate Professor David Eyers
Levels
PhD, Master’s

Distributed data provenance tracking and data sovereignty

Supervisor
Associate Professor David Eyers
Levels
PhD, Master’s

Explainable, context-sensitive, user-centric security

Supervisor
Associate Professor David Eyers
Levels
PhD, Master’s

Spatial ecology of urban possums

Supervisors
Professor Philip Seddon, Professor Yolanda van Heezik, Adjunct Professor Deb Wilson (Mannaki Whenua/Landcare Research)
Level
PhD

Upper Clutha terrace chronology and late Quaternary activity of the Pisa Fault

Supervisor
Professor Mark Stirling
Levels
Master’s, PhD

Ice mechanics and the dynamics of ice sheets

Supervisor
Professor Dave Prior
Levels
Honours, Master’s, PhD

Ross Sea Paleoceanography and ice shelf retreat – 15 kyr to present

Supervisors
Dr Christian Ohneiser, Dr Christina Riesselman, Dr Catherine Beltran
Levels
Postgraduate Diploma, Honours, Master’s, PhD

Surtsey volcano’s diatreme

Supervisor
Professor James White
Levels
Postgraduate Diploma, Honours, Master’s, PhD

The structural and lithological characterization of the Port Chalmers Breccia

Supervisors
Dr Marco Brenna, Professor James White, Dr Christian Ohneiser
Levels
Postgraduate Diploma, Honours

"Marine" seismic imaging of the Ostler Fault in Mackenzie Country, central South Island, New Zealand

Supervisor
Associate Professor Andrew Gorman
Levels
Postgraduate Diploma, Honours, Master’s

"Marine" seismic imaging of the floor of Lake Roxburgh, Central Otago, New Zealand

Supervisor
Associate Professor Andrew Gorman
Levels
Postgraduate Diploma, Honours, Master’s

Understanding the timing and drivers of drought in New Zealand

Supervisors
Associate Professor Chris Moy, Dr Christina Riesselman, Dr Marcus Vandergoes (GNS Science)
Level
PhD

3D lithological reconstruction of the Dunedin Volcano

Supervisor
Dr Marco Brenna
Levels
Honours, Master’s

Mechanism for active subsidence of the Dunedin volcano

Supervisors
Professor Mark Stirling, Dr Paul Denys (Surveying), Dr Pilar Villamor (GNS Science)
Level
Master’s

Seismic analysis of the Hyde Fault

Supervisors
Associate Professor Andrew Gorman, Professor Dave Prior, Professor Mark Stirling
Levels
Honours, Master’s

Metamorphic Methane and Gold Mineralization in the Otago Schist

Supervisors
Dr Mike Palin, Associate Professor Greg Holk (California State University)
Level
Master’s

Developing a crustal P-wave velocity model for SE South Island using petroleum industry sources and land-based broadband seismometers

Supervisors
Associate Professor Andrew Gorman, Dr Donna Eberhart-Philips (GNS Science)
Levels
Honours, Master’s

Quaternary Stratigraphy (and/or Structure?) of Otago Harbour

Supervisors
Associate Professor Andrew Gorman, Dr Christina Riesselman
Levels
Honours, Master’s


Socio-cultural, political-economic and media impact of sport

Supervisors
Professor Steve Jackson, Associate Professor Michael Sam
Levels
Postgraduate Diploma, Master’s, PhD, Postdoctoral

Developing a Neogene chronostratigraphic reference section for the Southern Ocean

Supervisors
Dr Christina Riesselman, Dr Georgia Grant (GNS Science)
Level
PhD

Parallel machine learning algorithms

Supervisor
Associate Professor Zhiyi Huang
Levels
Master’s, PhD

High performance computing for big data

Supervisor
Associate Professor Zhiyi Huang
Levels
Master’s, PhD

Application of machine learning algorithms for EEG data processing

Supervisor
Associate Professor Zhiyi Huang
Levels
Master’s, PhD