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Biological Sciences research impact

29 July 2025

Research impact reflects the meaningful ways in which biological research contributes to society, the environment, and the economy—both locally in Aotearoa New Zealand and globally.

HOW TO APPLY

For us, research impact means ensuring that scientific discoveries and innovations extend beyond scholarly publications to influence real-world outcomes.

In the biological sciences, impacts include:

  • Environmental stewardship: Informing conservation strategies, biodiversity management, and ecological restoration.
  • Health and wellbeing: Advancing biomedical research, disease prevention, and public health initiatives.
  • Policy and practice: Shaping environmental policy, biosecurity measures, and sustainable resource use.
  • Community engagement: Collaborating with iwi, hapū, and community groups to integrate mātauranga Māori and support culturally responsive science.

Achieving research impact for us  involves active engagement with stakeholders, effective communication of findings, and a commitment to applying research in ways that address pressing biological and ecological challenges. 

Our research has impact  

We have an impact at both a local and global level, some examples of how we make a difference to your world are listed below. From informing policy to driving innovation in healthcare and agriculture, we are proud of the quality and range of research we do. 

The biological and ecological landscape

  • Co-development of research with local communities and iwi in Akaroa Harbour to conserve and restore marine habitats.
  • Development of bioinformatics tools for analysis of molecular ecology datasets
  • Course-based research to provide rūnanga with biodiversity data at a recloaking/restoration site
  • Working with arable farmers and winegrowers to measure how on-farm habitat impacts the net effects of birds
  • Restoration of degraded habitats to support native vegetation and endangered fauna and reinstate ecosystem services.
  • Course-based research working with Wairewa rūnanga to monitor invasive species at restoration site at Te Kaiō
  • Restoration of degraded habitats to support native vegetation and endangered fauna and reinstate ecosystem services.
  • Research exploring microbial life in geothermal ecosystems like the Taupō Volcanic Zone to understand biodiversity, ecosystem services, and to apply these microbial communities to industrial applications.
  • Co-led the 1000 Springs Project, a landmark study cataloguing the chemical, physical, and microbial diversity which has become a foundational dataset for geothermal ecology and microbial diversity in Aotearoa.
  • Developing new tools for predicting and managing biodiversity under climate change through research on ecological networks, rethinking how species interactions and environmental fluctuations shape ecosystems.
  • Developed ecological forecasting models to better understand biodiversity and ecosystem responses to global change.
  • Testing effects of increased sedimentation on coastal ecosystems in partnership with Bay of Plenty iwi.
  • Using pest animal species to track environmental reservoirs of bacteria resistant to antimicrobial agents.

Species diversity and conservation

  • Advice to the Department of Conservation (DoC) about plant populations that should be prioritised for conservation management
  • Development and curation of the only comprehensive and publicly accessible account of vascular plant species in the Philippines and an associated database of scientific-quality plant photographs.
  • Curtailment implementation on wind farms in Victoria, Australia, to reduce turbine-related bat mortalities.
  • Contributing to conservation strategies for species vulnerable to climate change and coastal development by investigating genetic variation and mating behaviour.
  • Identifying diets of endangered frugivore dispersers to inform conservation and habitat restoration.
  • Expanding the knowledge of the microbial tree-of-life through the integration of genomics, taxonomy, microbial cultivation and charcterisation, and geochemistry, leading to new insights to microbial diversity and ecology.
  • Reaching 18K+ subscribers from 135 countries via weekly newsletter “Predirections”, impacting the lives of everyday people outside of academia.
  • Influenced conservation policy in Aotearoa, improving access for native migratory fish and guiding adaptive river flow and flood-risk management strategies.
  • Improving understanding the biodiversity-climate nexus by combining theory, fieldwork, and data synthesis to address pressing global challenges in ecosystem resilience and freshwater conservation.
  • Representing NZ on the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes, Assoc. member of the Bergey's Manual Trust, and serving as NZ ambassador for the International Society for Microbial Ecology.
  • Provided the Department of Conservation with insight into the effectiveness of marine reserves for protecting culturally, ecologically, and economically significant species.
  • Contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water, by studying species at the base of marine food webs and their responses to environmental stressors.
  • Demonstrated the effectiveness of detection dogs in ecological surveys, enhancing conservation efforts through improved species monitoring.
  • Modelled resilience of recreational Kaikoura paua fishery to overharvesting and poor management.
  • The UC herbarium (CANU) enables researchers to track invasive species, study historical plant distributions, and assess genetic diversity in threatened populations.
  • Studies on Philippine Rafflesia, a genus of parasitic plants with the largest flowers in the world, have made it a flagship for conservation through ecological and evolutionary research.
  • Founded the Nigerian Montane Forest Project (NMFP), a major conservation science hub that supports long-term ecological research, forest restoration, and biodiversity monitoring in West Africa.
  • Educational outreach, such as the Freshwater Biodiversity Box, has empowered schools and communities to engage with freshwater science and conservation.

Biological structure and activity

  • Supporting the development of biocontrol strategies as alternatives to antibiotics in agriculture.
  • Research focused on gene therapy and muscle regeneration, with applications in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
  • Developing biotechnology platforms to streamline therpeutic strategy assessments in muscle.
  • Development of cold-tolerant and heat-resistant crops, including nitrogen-efficient potatoes and heat-tolerant peas, aimed at improving agricultural resilience under climate change.
  • Development of a nontoxic, biodegradable coating to protect edible plants from pests, diseases, and climate stress. This innovation offers a sustainable alternative to agrochemicals, enhancing food safety and environmental health.
  • Research contributions to the structural and functional analysis of Rubisco, a key enzyme in photosynthesis, with implications for improving crop yields and food security.
  • Research on dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHDPS) has advanced understanding of lysine biosynthesis and its potential as a target for antimicrobial drug development.
  • Supporting Aotearoa's farm industry by identifying factors to generate non-flowering perennial ryegrass.
  • Identifying novel compounds from early diverging land plants to generate new sunscreen formulations.
  • Idenitify how plant-based biomaterials and culture conditions shape mamalian cell growth and function, accelerating the development of sustainable, scalable cutlivat meat.
  • Driving innovation in cellular agriculture, enabling sustainable, next generation food systems through advances in cell culture, biomaterials and hybrid meat technologies.
  • Understanding how pathogenic bacteria uptake nutrients and creating new antimicrobials to this target.
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