Research groups and centres

The main focus of UC's Acoustics Research Group is Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS), a technique for high-resolution undersea imaging. We design and build our own sonars for collecting field data. Learn more about our Acoustics Research Group.

From data structures to maximum subarray, UC's Algorithm Engineering Group focuses on a range of topics. Learn more and meet our people.

Being able to model the behaviour and response of systems governed by fundamental laws of mechanics underpins much applied engineering analysis. The Applied Mechanics Research Group focuses on developing satisfactory predictive models for such systems. Learn more about UC's Applied Mechanics Group.

UC AI is a transdisciplinary group of internationally recognised researchers for artificial intelligence. From regulation to robots, learn about UC's Artificial Intelligence Research Group.

The Bercovitch Data Centre disseminates research work and data on conflict, mediation, and peace-building to policy-makers and scholars. Learn about UC's Bercovitch Data Centre for Conflict Mediation, and Peace Building.

Set up in 1996 to promote Biomathematics and Biostatistics in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, the Biomathematics Research Centre has a number of research groups. Learn more about the centre.

Biomedical Engineering involves applying engineering and science to Medicine, Healthcare, and Biology. It encompasses research in Medical Engineering, Biomaterials, Biomechanics, Rehabilitation, Modelling, Therapeutics, and Medical Informatics. Learn about UC's Biomedical Engineering research group.

The Biomolecular Interaction Centre (BIC) is a multi-disciplinary research centre dedicated to the study of molecular interactions critical to biological function. Learn more about the Biomolecular Interaction Centre by exploring the links below.

UC Biosecurity Innovations (UCBI) is a trans-disciplinary research cluster dedicated to solving key biosecurity problems. Learn about UC's Biosecurity Innovations Cluster.

The Canterbury Child Development Research Group (CCDRG) is a multidisciplinary research team based at UC. The group investigates critical child development issues concerned with early developmental risks, brain development, parenting, and family functioning. Learn more.

UC's School of Law is home to the Canterbury Law Review (CantaLR). This peer-reviewed scholarly law journal publishes original content to the highest editorial standards. It facilitates academic excellence and the diffusion of legal academic work in NZ and the world. Learn more about the Canterbury Law Review.

UC's Centre for Bioengineering aims to be an internationally recognised interdisciplinary research centre of excellence, dedicated to servicing the biotech/bioengineering industry in New Zealand and the world. Learn more about our Centre for Bioengineering.

UC's Centre for Commercial and Corporate Law provides a forum to exchange information, views, and expertise about corporate and commercial law. Through lectures, seminars, and publications we bridge the gap between academic lawyers, practitioners in law and accountancy, and those working in finance and industry. Learn more about this group.

Ecological Engineering solves problems for societies and the environment by designing solutions based on the interdependence of people and ecosystems. Research at the Centre for EcoLogical Technology Solutions (CELTS) focuses on solutions that are holistic, valorise waste resources, and align to the circular economy. Learn more about the centre.

UC's Centre for Integrated Research in Biosafety (INBI) aims to contribute to increased understanding and more effective management of emerging biotechnologies. Learn about the Centre for Integrated Research in Biosafety.

UC's Centre of Excellence in Aquaculture and Marine Ecology (CEAME) is a partnership approach for training students by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and UC's School of Biological Sciences. Learn more about the Centre of Excellence in Aquaculture and Marine Ecology. 

UC's Child Language Research Group researches children's speech and language development and related abilities. We cover a broad range of topics in child speech and language and focus on supporting children with difficulties to achieve optimal outcomes. Learn more about our Child Language Research Group.

UC's Child Wellbeing Research Institute nurtures research excellence to support children's holistic well-being. Learn about our Child Wellbeing Research Institute.

UC's Cluster for Community and Urban Resilience (CURe) is a transdisciplinary research team that seeks to build the resilience of communities through innovative, collaborative, and inclusive research that's focused on equitable and sustainable urban systems. Learn about our Cluster for Community and Urban Resilience.

UC's Communications Research Group (UCCRG) is one of the largest research groups at UC and in our Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. We're engaged in an active programme of research, primarily in wireless communications. Learn more about the Communications Research Group.

UC's Computational Imaging Group does research and provides postgraduate training in a variety of practical imaging applications. Much of our research focuses on image reconstruction or image recovery, for example computing images of objects, scenes, and internal structures from a variety of data. Learn more about our Computational Imaging Group.

From CS Unplugged to Code:WOF, UC's Computer Science Education Group runs a range of projects. Learn more and check out our current and past projects.

UC's Computer Vision Lab is a research group that computes properties of the three-dimensional world from images and video. Learn more about our research and meet our people.

UC's Confucius Institute (CI) is part of the global CI network. CIUC is managed by the UC (New Zealand), in collaboration with Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China). Learn more about our Confucius Institute.

The Canterbury School of Law has a distinguished tradition of research in criminal law. The School pioneered teaching and scholarship of criminal justice in New Zealand. The current members of our Criminal Law & Criminal Justice Group work across a range of legal areas. Learn more about Criminal Law and Criminal Justice research at UC.

The Critical Health and Wellbeing Research Group is made up of transdisciplinary critical health and wellbeing researchers with diverse backgrounds and interests across the social sciences. Learn more about this group.

UC's Cybersecurity Lab was established in 2011 as a unit to coordinate and support work in security, privacy, and cryptography. Learn more about our research.

UC's Design Group has a diverse range of research and development interests. We look at everything from design methodology and rapid product development to engineering art and kinetic sculptures. Our group has close ties with the Robotics, Instrumentation and Control, Applied Mechanics, and Manufacturing research groups. Check out the Design Group.

While integrating technology has provided new opportunities, we need clear, critical, research-led discussion into design and equitable application of technology in education. UC's Digital Education Futures Lab focuses on examining practice, approaches, and research around digital technologies that shape the future of education. Learn more.

UC's Educational Theory, Policy and Practice Research Hub provides a rigorous, supportive research environment for inquiry in educational foundations and educational policy studies. Learn more.

UC's Electric Power Engineering Centre (EPECentre) is New Zealand’s pioneering research centre for electric power and clean energy applications. Learn about our Electric Power Engineering Centre.

Element: Engineering Leadership and Management enhances teaching, research, and the practice of Engineering Management. We focus on student careers, the profession, and engineering employers in New Zealand. Learn more about UC's Element: Engineering Leadership and Management group.

The Advanced Energy and Material Systems Lab comprises a diverse group who work on complex, interdisciplinary problems. Our primary research focus is finding innovation in energy systems. Learn more about UC's Energy Group.

The Fluid Mechanics group operates a unique laboratory to support our study and research relating to industrial aerodynamics. We respond to the needs of New Zealand and encourage relevant projects from industry while doing more basic research with long term goals. Learn more about UC's Fluid Mechanics Group.

Established in 2019, UC's Food, Policy and Wellbeing (FPW) Research Cluster is split into four subgroups. These focus on different research areas that examine how sustainable food can support wellbeing. Learn more about our Food, Policy and Wellbeing Research Cluster.

The Joint Postgraduate School Food Transitions 2050 is a partnership initiative between UC, Lincoln University, Plant & Food Research, Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, and AgResearch. Learn about Food Transitions 2050.

The Freshwater Ecology Research Group (FERG) is a co-operative group of researchers. It includes experienced academic staff, early career researchers, students, and technicians based in UC's School of Biological Sciences. Our collective desire is to improve the plight of freshwater ecosystems. Learn more about this group.

Gateway Antarctica is the Centre for Antarctic Studies and Research at UC. We aim to enhance understanding of Antarctica in the context of the global environment. The centre is a focal point for Antarctic study. Learn about Gateway Antarctica.

UC's Te Taiwhenua o te Hauora | GeoHealth Laboratory does applied research in health geography, spatial epidemiology, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). It focuses on how the local and national contexts shape health outcomes and health inequalities. Learn more about our GeoHealth Laboratory.

The Geospatial Research Institute does interdisciplinary, partnership-based geospatial research across the social and physical sciences. Our research is culturally appropriate, ethical, and engaged. Find out more about the Geospatial Research Institute.

Geothermal resources have a wide range of temperature, pressure, potential brine or steam flow rate, and dissolved mineral composition. The UC projects focus on modelling, design, and economical analysis of practical Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power plants. Learn more about UC's Geothermal Energy group.

Our research topics are mainly based on the interests of Chris Stevens and David Wiltshire. Broadly they include cosmology, mathematical and numerical relativity, black holes, gravitational waves, quasilocal energy, and the global structure of space-time. Learn more about the Gravity and Cosmology Group.

Hei Puāwaitanga: Sustainability, Citizenship and Civic Imagination is a multidisciplinary international research team and civics lab at UC.

UC's Intelligent Computer Tutoring Group (ICTG) has a range of projects on the go. From cognitive rehabilitation to data normalisation, learn more about our research.

UC's intelliHealth Systems Research Lab researches intelligent, adaptive systems in Health. From modelling patients to using gaming for rehabilitation, learn more about our research.

UC's International and Comparative Law Group (ICLG) is a group of lecturers in public international and comparative law at our Faculty of Law. We look at teaching and research in comparative law and public international law that affects NZ, Antarctica, the Southern Ocean, and the Pacific. Find out about our International and Comparative Law Group.

UC's Language and Literacy Research Lab is a research group that comprises staff from our College of Education and Health and Human Development. We also have links with other groups across the university, including the UC Child Well-being Research Institute and the New Zealand Institute of Language, Brain and Behaviour. Learn more.

Traditional classrooms are designed for one teacher with a class of students. According to the Ministry of Education Innovative Learning Environment (ILE) guidelines, learning spaces should accommodate several teachers and students in one large space. Find out about UC's research into learning environments.

The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology is a network of researchers who create innovative, sustainable materials. We work with industry and government to address global challenges such as clean water, renewable energy, and climate change. Learn about the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology.

The Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies (MBC) is a world leader in interdisciplinary research on the Pacific. We're at the forefront of publishing and disseminating knowledge on a wide range of issues related to Pacific peoples.

Most countries see manufacturing as the development path to a higher standard of living so research is essential as competition continually increases. UC's manufacturing group is actively engaged in an extensive range of research interests. Learn more about our manufacturing group.

The Materials Cluster@UC is a diverse network of researchers who span various branches of materials research at UC. Like the broad research field of materials, the network is interdisciplinary, with members mainly drawn from the College of Science and College of Engineering.

UC's Materials Engineering group has a diverse range of interests that cover many topics in the field of materials. This includes ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, fracture and failure mechanisms, ceramics, polymers, and composites. Learn more about our Materials Engineering group.

Our Nanostructure Engineering Science and Technology (NEST) group does advanced research in areas that span the spectrum of applied engineering and fundamental science of nano-meter scale structures and devices. These include nanolithography, nanobiotechnology, and more. Learn more about Nanostructure Engineering Science and Technology at UC.

The National Centre for Research on Europe (NCRE) is New Zealand’s only research centre that's devoted to studying Europe and the European Union (EU).

UC's Biomaterials Engineering group does research into novel environmentally sustainable materials with the aim of reducing New Zealand’s reliance on materials derived from petrochemicals. Learn more about the Natural Fibre and Biocomposites group.

UC's Network Research Group examines many different aspects of telecommunications networking. From Active Networks to Ad Hoc Wireless, find out about our research.

The Neural Engineering research group provides the primary engineering thrust in the Christchurch Neurotechnology Research Programme (NeuroTech). It's a collaboration between UC, University of Otago, Canterbury District Health Board, and the New Zealand Brain Research Institute. Learn more about the Neural Engineering research group.

The New Zealand Centre for Human-Animal Studies (NZCHAS) brings together scholars from the humanities and social sciences whose research and teaching is concerned with the conceptual and material treatment of nonhuman animals in culture, society, and history.

The New Zealand Institute of Language, Brain and Behaviour (NZILBB) is a multi-disciplinary centre dedicated to studying human language. From linguistics and language disorders to memory and cognitive science, our researchers come from a wide range of disciplines.

The New Zealand South Asia Centre (NZSAC) at UC is designed to promote recognition and understanding of South Asian societies and cultures in New Zealand.

The Ngāi Tahu Research Centre (NTRC) was founded to be a leader in indigenous scholarship and  provide a centre for the intellectual capital and development of Ngāi Tahu, the principal Māori iwi of the southern region of New Zealand.

The Nigerian Montane Forest Project aims to combine scientific research with education at tertiary and local community levels. This is to develop long-term sustainable management of Nigeria’s montane forests. Learn more about this project.

Pedagogies of Possibility (PoP) is a vibrant research community that seeks to reimagine, transform, and expand our understanding of pedagogical possibilities. Our cross-disciplinary group is keen to explore 'what if' and 'what could be' rather than merely 'what is'. Learn more.

Most power electronics research involves using electronic devices in their switch mode. Switching power supplies and amplifiers are far more efficient than their linear counterparts. This becomes very important when power levels are large, if power supply is limited, or both. Learn more about UC's Power Electronics research group.

UC's power systems group researches renewable energy, energy efficiency and technology, power quality, transformers, power system dynamics, generation and distribution networks, power electronic control, high voltage engineering, and energy markets. Learn more about our Power Systems group.

The Public Diplomacy and Political Communication Forum (PD-PCF) is a multi- and inter-disciplinary research platform that unites leading experts and early-career researchers in a transnational network in their study of public diplomacy and political communication.

QuakeCoRE is transforming the earthquake resilience of communities and societies through innovative, world‐class research, human capability development, and deep national and international collaboration. We are a Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) funded by the New Zealand Tertiary Education Commission. Learn more about QuakeCoRE.

Surrogacy, particularly international surrogacy, is prevalent and increasing. UC's Rethinking Surrogacy Laws group is a collaboration between Law, Business, Health Sciences, Philosophy, and the Office of the Assistant Vice-Chancellor Māori. Learn more about this group.

The UC Robotics Control and Instrumentation group does research in three grouped laboratories: the Applied Mechanics Laboratory, Robotics Laboratory, and Hydraulics Laboratory. Much of our work involves the design and control of mechanical structures such as those used for robots. Learn more about our Robotics, Control, and Instrumentation group.

UC's Rose Centre for Stroke Recovery and Research is a state of the art facility at St Georges Medical Centre. It helps people with swallowing and communication disorders recover function or improve sufficiently to gain the best possible quality of life. Learn more about the Rose Centre for Stroke Recovery and Research.

UC's Simulation Research Group has covered many aspects of quantitative stochastic discrete-event simulation (DES), as well as modelling internet teletraffic, and other multimedia telecommunication networks. Learn more about our research.

The SSANSE project (2017-2019) was a preparedness initiative examining the defence and foreign policy choices and challenges of small states in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Oceania in the new security environment. Find out more about the project.

UC's Software Engineering Research and Applications Lab focuses on studying and improving the way we develop high quality software. This includes productive teams, processes and practices, and empirical software engineering. Learn more about our research.

The Southeast Asia Research Initiative (SEARI) focuses on cross-disciplinary research on contemporary Southeast Asia. It aims to foster a supportive research environment on Southeast Asia at UC and bring faculty and students together.

UC's Spatial And Image Learning (SAIL) group collaborates with a number of New Zealand organisations. We research image processing and machine learning problems and develop prototypes for deployment. Learn more.

The Spatial Engineering Research Centre (SERC) is an academic research centre hosted by UC's College of Engineering. The SERC team includes experienced research scientists, engineers, and PhD and graduate students, who can support a range of geospatial technologies.

The ability to effectively produce and comprehend speech is crucial for health and wellbeing. At the UC Speech-Language Neuroscience Lab we study different aspects of normal and disordered speech production and perception. We're interested in a range of issues that make it difficult to talk or comprehending speech. Learn about the UC Speech Lab.

The Sport, Health, and Rehabilitation Research Cluster (SHARRC) is research cluster. It combines sports, health sciences, engineering, design, data science, life sciences, human-computer interaction, social and psychological sciences, business, and law.

UC's Sport and Exercise Research Lab (SERL) is the result of an expansion of the previous Movement Pedagogy Research Hub to include strengths in research on sport and exercise science. Learn more.

Our research group aims to find nutritional interventions that are effective in treating psychiatric/psychological illness. At our lab, we independently test new, ground-breaking, multi-nutrient formulae, probiotics, and other natural, beneficial substances. Learn more about Te Puna Toiora Mental Health and Nutrition Research.

Te Ru Rangahau | The Maori Research Laboratory supports and promotes the Strategy for Māori Development at UC. We support advancing indigenous postgraduates and research that's responsive to Māori and indigenous needs and aspirations. Learn more.

Disasters are social phenomena, caused by society’s inability to cope with hazards. The Institute of Law, Emergencies and Disasters (LEAD) combines multi-disciplinary researchers based at UC's Faculty of Law. We work on all aspects of law, governance, and disasters. 

UC's Theoretical Computer Science research group examines everything from algorithms to logic. Learn more about our research and meet our people.

In engineering practice, basic and applied research in thermodynamics and heat transfer is increasingly important. These play a crucial role in designing vehicles, power and process plants, cooking and heating devices, IC chips, and more. Learn more about UC's Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer group.

Socio-Legal studies examine legal ideas, practices, and institutions in their social and historical contexts. Its methodology is mainly empirical rather than doctrinal and it's often interdisciplinary. UC's Socio-Legal Studies Research Group comprises academics interested in collaborative research in Socio-Legal issues. Learn more about this group.

UC CEISMIC Canterbury Earthquake Digital Archive is a comprehensive digital archive of video, audio, documents and images related to the Canterbury Earthquakes of 2010 and 2011.

UC's Cleft Clinic is offered as a pilot clinic (trial). We offer Speech Language Therapy services for people aged 12 and over with communication difficulties as a result of cleft. Our clinic is currently offered free of charge, but you'll be asked to join a research study about the clinic. Find out more about the UC Cleft Research Centre.

UC's Te Pokapū Pāhekoheko Hapori | Community Engagement Hub has state of the art digital technologies, innovative spaces for research, learning and teaching; and social spaces that encourage collaboration and multidisciplinary ways of working. Check it out.

The UC Drone Institute is one of the leading research groups at UC. We focus on Aerodynamics & Propulsion, Control & Design, Application & Implementation of multi-rotors, as well as fixed-wing and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. Learn more about the UC Drone Institute.

Electrospinning is a process for producing continuous polymeric fibres with diameters in the submicron range, mainly by using electrostatic forces. UC's electrospinning research group (UC-Spin) researches novel nanofibres. We're working on processing a variety of different polymeric materials. Learn more about our Electrospinning Group.

UCMeta is a network of researchers interested in meta-research. We aim to work with stakeholders in Ōtautahi Christchurch and Waitaha Canterbury, including Ngāi Tūāhuriri and Ngāi Tahu. 

The Waterways Centre for Freshwater Management strives to bring bright minds and broad skillsets together to address freshwater challenges in Aotearoa and beyond. Our research delivers insights into freshwater quantities, variability and processes ki uta ki tai, from the mountains to the sea. Learn about Waterways Centre for Freshwater Management.

The Wireless Research Centre (WRC) is one of UC's leading industry-facing research centres. It supports industry to pave the way for the next generation of products. We research and develop innovative solutions that have a positive impact on the community and economy.

UC's Wood Technology Research Centre enables information exchange between staff engaged in wood-related research. It facilitates the shared use of research facilities, enhances research programmes, and promotes technology transfer to end users.