Biological Sciences contacts
School of Biological Sciences Te Kura Pūtaiao Koiora
University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch 8140
New Zealand
Phone: +64 3 369 5200
Advisors and Coordinators
Daniel Stouffer
MSc Part 2 Postgraduate Coordinator
Julius von Haast 518
Phone: +6433692880
Internal Phone: 92880
Sara Kross
4th Year Coordinator
Julius Von Haast - Room 232
Phone: +6433691460
Internal Phone: 91460
Administrators
Head of School
Elissa Cameron
Acting Head of School
Professor in Animal Behaviour
Julius von Haast Rm 222
Phone: +6433695596
Academic Staff
Amy Osborne
Senior Lecturer
Genomics
Fields of Research:
- Environmental epigenetics
- DNA methylation
- Genome regulation
- Developmental origins of ...
- DNA methylation
- Genome regulation
- Developmental origins of ...
Angus McIntosh
Professor
Freshwater Ecology
Fields of Research:
- Freshwater ecosystems, including streams, wetlands and lakes
- Freshwater fish
- Food web ...
- Freshwater fish
- Food web ...
Ashley Garrill
Associate Professor
Biochemistry
Fields of Research:
- Invasive growth of pathogenic microorganisms (fungi and oomycetes)
- Turgor ...
- Turgor ...
Claudia Meisrimler
Senior Lecturer
Fields of Research:
- Plant-microbe interactions
- Plant abiotic stress
- Climate change
- Effector ...
- Plant abiotic stress
- Climate change
- Effector ...
Dr Craig Herbold
Senior Lecturer
Bioinformatics
Fields of Research:
- Microbial ecology
- Molecular evolution
- Microbial taxonomy and systematics
- Horizontal gene ...
- Molecular evolution
- Microbial taxonomy and systematics
- Horizontal gene ...
Daniel Stouffer
Associate Professor
Complex Systems Ecology
Fields of Research:
- Quantitative community ecology
Dave Kelly
Retired November 2021 Ecology
Fields of Research:
- Biological control
- Conservation
- Ecology
- Mistletoe reproductive ecology
- Plant ...
- Conservation
- Ecology
- Mistletoe reproductive ecology
- Plant ...
David Leung
Associate Professor
Biotechnology
Fields of Research:
- Applications of plant tissue culture, e.g., micropropagation
- wood formation in tissue ...
- wood formation in tissue ...
David Schiel
Distinguished Professor
Marine Ecology
Fields of Research:
- Aquaculture
- Larval fish ecology
- Marine intertidal and subtidal ecology
- Earthquake research
- Larval fish ecology
- Marine intertidal and subtidal ecology
- Earthquake research
Elissa Cameron
Head of School
Animal Behaviour
Fields of Research:
- Social behaviour
- Ecophysiology
- Sex allocation
- Parental behaviour
- Conservation ...
- Ecophysiology
- Sex allocation
- Parental behaviour
- Conservation ...
Grant Pearce
Senior Lecturer Above the Bar
Fields of Research:
- Enzyme kinetics and inhibition
- Protein chemistry
- Protein ...
- Protein chemistry
- Protein ...
Hazel Chapman
Professor
Evolutionary Ecology
Fields of Research:
- Afromontane forest ecology
- Forest Restoration
- Evolution of invasiveness in ...
- Forest Restoration
- Evolution of invasiveness in ...
Heather Hendrickson
Senior Lecturer
Fields of Research:
- Protozoan Predation
- Endosymbiosis
- Bacteriophages in agriculture and aquaculture
- Bacterial ...
- Endosymbiosis
- Bacteriophages in agriculture and aquaculture
- Bacterial ...
Ian Dickie
Professor
Microbial Ecology
Fields of Research:
- Invasive species
- Mycorrhizal ecology
- Ecosystem mycology
- Molecular ecology
- Plant-soil ...
- Mycorrhizal ecology
- Ecosystem mycology
- Molecular ecology
- Plant-soil ...
Jack Heinemann
Professor
Genetics
Fields of Research:
- Microbial genetics and evolution
- Horizontal gene transfer
- Risk assessment especially of ...
- Horizontal gene transfer
- Risk assessment especially of ...
Jason Tylianakis
Professor
Terrestrial Ecology
Fields of Research:
- Conservation on managed land
- Ecological aspects of biological control
- Ecological processes ...
- Ecological aspects of biological control
- Ecological processes ...
Jim Briskie
Professor
Behavioural Ecology
Fields of Research:
- Behavioural ecology
- Biology of birds
- Sexual selection & evolution
- Conservation
- Biology of birds
- Sexual selection & evolution
- Conservation
John Pirker
Lecturer in Biological Sciences and Indigenous Knowledge
Fields of Research:
- Marine ecology
- Aquaculture
- Marine algae
- Mātauranga Māori
- Aquaculture
- Marine algae
- Mātauranga Māori
Jonathan Tonkin
Associate Professor and Rutherford Discovery Fellow
Community Ecology
Research Interests:
For more details, please see https://tonkinlab.org
Mads Thomsen
Senior Lecturer
Marine Biology
Fields of Research:
- Climate changes in marine ecosystems
- Meta-analysis and cross-ecosystem comparisons
- Marine ...
- Meta-analysis and cross-ecosystem comparisons
- Marine ...
Matthew Stott
Associate Professor
Microbiology
Fields of Research:
- geomicrobiology
- extremophiles
- microbial ecology
- microbial cultivation
- microbial ...
- extremophiles
- microbial ecology
- microbial cultivation
- microbial ...
Matthew Turnbull
Professor
Professor in Plant Physiological Ecology
Fields of Research:
- Ecophysiology of resource acquisition in natural and managed ecosystems
- Forest ...
- Forest ...
Pieter Pelser
Associate Professor
Plant systematics & Director of UC Herbarium
Fields of Research:
- Plant systematics
- Studying and documenting plant diversity
- Plant taxonomy
- Conservation ...
- Studying and documenting plant diversity
- Plant taxonomy
- Conservation ...
Renwick Dobson
Professor
Biochemistry
Fields of Research:
- Enzymology
- Enzyme evolution and Enzyme design
- Structural biology
- Biophysics
- Enzyme evolution and Enzyme design
- Structural biology
- Biophysics
Sarah Flanagan
Senior Lecturer
Fields of Research:
- sexual selection
- population genetics
- genomics
- quantitative genetics
- complex trait ...
- population genetics
- genomics
- quantitative genetics
- complex trait ...
Sara Kross
Senior Lecturer
Fields of Research:
- Conservation Biology
- Agroecology
- Restoration
- Urban Ecology
- Human-Wildlife ...
- Agroecology
- Restoration
- Urban Ecology
- Human-Wildlife ...
Steven Gieseg
Associate Professor
Free Radical Biochemistry
Fields of Research:
- Inflammatory basis of atherosclerosis, Heart Disease and Stroke
- X-ray Spectral Medical ...
- X-ray Spectral Medical ...
Tadeu Siqueira
Senior Lecturer
Fields of Research:
- Metacommunity ecology
- Biodiversity science
- Stream ecology
- Multivariate statistics
- Biodiversity science
- Stream ecology
- Multivariate statistics
Tammy Steeves
Professor
Conservation Genetics
Fields of Research:
- Conservation genetics
- Conservation genomics
- Population genetics, phylogeography, ...
- Conservation genomics
- Population genetics, phylogeography, ...
Vanessa Morris
Senior Lecturer
Fields of Research:
- Structural biology
- Biophysics
- Protein structure and interactions
- Amyloid fibrils and ...
- Biophysics
- Protein structure and interactions
- Amyloid fibrils and ...
Ximena Nelson
Professor
Animal Behaviour
Fields of Research:
- Jumping spider behaviour
- Neural basis of information processing. Neuroethology of ...
- Neural basis of information processing. Neuroethology of ...
Contract Teaching Staff
Technical Staff
Rennie Bishop
Technician
Field & Marine Services, Aquarium, 1st Floor Lab Manager
Julius von Haast 726
Phone: +6433695595
Internal Phone: 95595
David Conder
Glasshouse Complex Manager
Glasshouses, Vehicles
von Haast Glasshouse
Phone: +6433695141
Internal Phone: 95141
John Davis
Technician
Network Administrator
Ernest Rutherford 322
Phone: +6433694080
Internal Phone: 94080
Tom Davison
Chemical Compliance Technician
Julius von Haast 645
Phone: +6433692159
Internal Phone: 92159
Kim Doherty
Technician
Terrestrial Ecology
Julius von Haast 318
Phone: +6433695202
Internal Phone: 95202
Claire Galilee
Technician
Molecular Genetics, DNA sequencer
Julius von Haast 334
Phone: +6433695149
Internal Phone: 95149
Craig Galilee
Technician
Microbiology, 4th floor Lab Manager
Julius von Haast 545
Phone: +6433695150
Internal Phone: 95150
Reijel Gardiner
Technician
Plant Morphology, Microscopy, Taxonomy, Phycology
Julius von Haast 508
Phone: +6433695172
Internal Phone: 95172
Brigitta Kurenbach
Biochemistry Technician
Molecular Biology
Julius von Haast 445
Phone: +6433695183
Internal Phone: 95183
Angela Van Diepen
Technician
Purchasing
Julius von Haast 215
Phone: +6433692103
Internal Phone: 92103
Nicole Lauren-Manuera
Technician
Technical Manager, Compliance Officer, Finance
Julius von Haast 216
Phone: +6433695160
Internal Phone: 95160
Jan McKenzie
Technician
Marine Ecology, Microscopy
Julius von Haast 231
Phone: +6433695187
Internal Phone: 95187
Katrina Melief
Technical Assistant
Central Washing Area, Autoclave
Julius Von Haast Rm 334
Phone: +6433695188
Internal Phone: 95188
Linda Morris
Technician
Tech. Teaching Coordinator Freshwater Ecol. & Cell Biol., 3rd Floor Lab Manager RSIC
Julius von Haast 515
Phone: +6433695196
Matt Walters
Scientific Communication Specialist
Science Communication, Digital Imaging, Outreach
Julius von Haast 432
Phone: +6433695211
Internal Phone: 95211
Alan Woods
Technician
Electrical and Electronics
Julius von Haast 132
Phone: +6433695223
Internal Phone: 95223
Postdoctoral Fellows
Research Staff
Fiona Cross
Principal Research Investigator
Animal Cognition
Phone: +6433691797
Internal Phone: 91797
Callaghan Innovation Staff
Dion Thompson
Senior Research Scientist
Julius von Haast2 616
Phone: +6433695207
Internal Phone: 95207
Adjunct Staff
Manpreet Dhami
Senior Fellow
Mitja Remus-Emsermann
Adjunct Senior Fellow
Leigh Tait
Adjunct Senior Fellow
David Wardle
Adjunct Professor
Emeritus Professors
Bill Davison
Emeritus Professor
Fish Physiology
Julius von Haast 228
Phone: +6433695170
Internal Phone: 95170
Jon Harding
Emeritus Professor
Freshwater Ecology
Biology 333
Phone: +6433695135
Internal Phone: 95135
Islay Marsden
Emerita Professor
Marine Biology
Julius von Haast 232
Phone: +6433695185
Internal Phone: 95185
Michael Winterbourn
Emeritus Professor
Freshwater Ecology
Zoology Z531
Phone: +6433695221
Internal Phone: 95221
Visiting Fellows