Photo caption: UC energy systems expert Dr Rebecca Peer’s research has had a major boost with a prestigious Royal Society Te Apārangi fellowship.
Announced today, the energy systems expert from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) was awarded a prestigious Mana Tūānuku Research Leader Fellowship, worth $1.16 million over four years.
Dr Peer, a Senior Lecturer in Civil and Natural Resources Engineering at UC, is one of just 12 researchers nationwide selected by Royal Society Te Apārangi in 2025.
Dr Peer’s fellowship will support her groundbreaking work to design a resilient, evidence-based energy strategy for Aotearoa.
Although more than 80% of Aotearoa’s electricity is renewable, the country still has some of the highest per-capita carbon emissions in the world, largely due to fossil fuel use in transport and industry. As the economy electrifies—from cars to industrial processes—demand will surge, placing new strain on the grid. At the same time, climate change is creating increased uncertainty for energy supply.
To address this, Dr Peer will develop sophisticated modelling tools that integrate energy system analysis with risk, decision making, and policy assessment. These tools will help answer essential national planning questions, including:
• How can we make robust energy decisions under uncertainty?
• What are the true economic, environmental, and social trade-offs of different energy policies?
• How do we ensure the transition to clean energy is secure, efficient, and fair?
“Aotearoa is at a pivotal moment,” Dr Peer says. “We need tools that support long-term, resilient decision-making so we can decarbonise while keeping energy secure and affordable. This fellowship gives me the opportunity to build those tools and contribute directly to the country’s future.”
Dr Peer completed her PhD at the University of Southern California, earning the institution’s prestigious PhD Achievement Award. She later undertook postdoctoral research at the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University, working with global leaders in climate and energy systems before joining UC in 2019.
The Mana Tūānuku Fellowships accelerate world-leading research programmes and expand researchers’ leadership across their institutions and fields. Fellows also gain access to mentoring, collaboration networks, and knowledge-sharing opportunities facilitated by Royal Society Te Apārangi.
The Government introduced the Tāwhia te Mana Research Fellowships in 2024 to foster outstanding mid-career researchers, strengthen leadership capability, and support high-impact research across the science, innovation, and technology sectors.
