The Rutherford Discovery Fellowships are an annual science fellowship in New Zealand. The fellowships, established in 2010, are administered by the Royal Society Te Apārangi through a competitive process. Ten fellowships are awarded nationally. The successful Fellows are announced in October/November each year. The awards made in 2023, to twelve recipients, were the final awards.
The fellowships are administered by the Royal Society Te Apārangi through Terms of Reference established by the Minister of Science and Innovation, and are intended to "develop excellent researchers in New Zealand".[1] The establishment of the scheme was funded by reprioritising funding from the existing James Cook Research Fellowships and the disestablished Foundation for Research, Science and Technology-funded Postdoctoral Fellowships.[2] The fellowships provide up to $160,000 per annum for five years for ten researchers, and are aimed at early to mid-career researchers (three to eight years post-PhD).[1] Applicants prepare a proposal describing their planned research at a named host institution, and a shortlist of applicants proceeds to interview. Successful Fellows are announced in October or November each year.[1][3] The Fellowships are intended to be prestigious, and to "develop and foster the future leaders in the New Zealand science and innovation system by encouraging their career development and by enabling them to establish a solid track record for future research".[1]
The Ministry of Science and Innovation commissioned a review of the scheme in 2011, following a public letter raising concerns about a gap in early and mid-career support for researchers.[2] The review, conducted by the government Social Wellbeing Agency (The Hub), interviewed fellows, the selection panel, and representatives from host institutions and the Royal Society. A draft report is available but the final report and recommendations do not appear to have been made public.[4][2] The scheme finished in 2023 with the awarding of $800,000 each to 12 fellows.[5] The fellowship is among several funding schemes replaced by the New Zealand Mana Tūānuku Research Leader Fellowship.[6]
| 2010|2011|2012|2013|2014|2015|2016|2017|2018|2019|2020|2021|2022|2023 |
| Year | Recipient | Host institution | Project title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010
|
Donna Rose Addis | University of Auckland | Building our autobiographies: how the brain constructs past and future autobiographical events |
| Ashton S. Bradley | University of Otago | The birth, life, and death of a quantum vortex dipole | |
| Murray Cox | Massey University | Computational reconstruction of genomic evolution | |
| Alexei J. Drummond | University of Auckland | Computational analysis for molecular ecology and evolutionary biology | |
| Paul P. Gardner | University of Canterbury | Bioinformatic approaches to functionally characterise RNAs | |
| Noam Greenberg | Victoria University of Wellington | Effective randomness, lowness notions and higher computability | |
| Jennifer Hay | University of Canterbury | Episodic word memory | |
| Eric Le Ru | Victoria University of Wellington | Surface-enhanced spectroscopy: from fundamentals to applications | |
| John N. J. Reynolds | University of Otago | Improving brain function: a balancing act | |
| Jason Tylianakis | University of Canterbury | Reweaving the web of life: the interplay of species traits and resource constraints during the assembly and disassembly of ecological networks in changing environments. | |
| 2011
|
Quentin D. Atkinson | University of Auckland | A Darwinian approach to understanding the cultural evolution of language and cooperation |
| Nancy Bertler | Victoria University of Wellington | The Roosevelt Island Climate Evolution (RICE) project | |
| Peter C. Fineran | University of Otago | How do bacterial ‘adaptive immune systems’ protect microbial cells against viral infection? | |
| David Goldstone | University of Auckland | Trimming retroviral infection: Structural investigations of TRIM protein function | |
| Chris Hann | University of Canterbury | Advanced rocket system modelling and control for supersonic and hypersonic flight | |
| Justin M. Hodgkiss | Victoria University of Wellington | Time-resolved optical spectroscopy to guide the design of photoactive organic semiconductor devices | |
| Nicole Moreham | Victoria University of Wellington | The protection of privacy in English private law | |
| Wayne M. Patrick | Massey University | New insights into old problems: evolution of protein folds, protein functions and streamlined genomes | |
| Anthony M. Poole | University of Canterbury | How does complexity emerge in cellular systems? | |
| Nick T Shears | University of Auckland | Maintaining healthy marine ecosystems under increased anthropogenic stress and a changing climate | |
| 2012
|
Martin W. Allen | University of Canterbury | Ultraviolet vision – new frontiers in health and technology |
| Barbara J. Anderson | University of Otago | Battlegrounds and safe havens: disentangling the roles of ecology and evolution in the response of biological communities to climate change | |
| Jessie Jacobsen | University of Auckland | Autism spectrum disorder: hunting for therapeutic targets using genetics | |
| Peter D. Mace | University of Otago | Molecular signalling mechanisms at the interface between cellular life and death | |
| Clemency Montelle | University of Canterbury | New perspectives on the history of the exact sciences in second millennium Sanskrit sources | |
| Shinichi Nakagawa | University of Otago | Multidisciplinary approaches to understanding the maintenance of biological variation | |
| Nicholas Rattenbury | University of Auckland | Toward Earth-II: completing the census of extra-sslar planets in the galaxy | |
| Lara Shepherd | Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa | Human-induced evolutionary processes on a recently colonised landmass: incipient domestication and spatial dynamics of species’ declines | |
| Geoff Willmott | Industrial Research Limited | The nanofluidic plumber: submicron transport in liquids | |
| Tim Woodfield | University of Otago | New frontiers in musculoskeletal regenerative medicine: biofabrication of cartilage and bone for entire joint resurfacing | |
| 2013
|
Brendon Bradley | University of Canterbury | Earth-shattering detective work: Uncovering the mysteries of unresolved ground motion and geotechnical case-histories from the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes |
| Dillon Mayhew | Victoria University of Wellington | The mathematics of space and language: matroids and model theory | |
| Robert McKay | Victoria University of Wellington | Antarctic ice sheet-Southern Ocean interactions during greenhouse worlds of the past 23 million years - and consequences for New Zealand climate. | |
| Suresh D. Muthukumaraswamy | University of Auckland | High-frequency brain activity in health and disease | |
| Suetonia Palmer | University of Otago | Improving evidence for decision-makers in chronic kidney disease | |
| Craig Radford | University of Auckland | Using passive acoustics to monitor ecosystem health. | |
| Jonathan Sperry | University of Auckland | Inert C-H bonds: A gateway to molecular complexity | |
| Elizabeth E. Stanley | Victoria University of Wellington | What happened to human rights?: Exploring the changing status of human rights in New Zealand. | |
| Daniel B. Stouffer | University of Canterbury | Toward a general theory of evolution in ecological networks | |
| Angela Wanhalla | University of Otago | Marriage: the politics of private life in New Zealand | |
| 2014
|
Louise Bicknell | University of Otago | Investigating the contribution of genetic variation to shaping human disease |
| Alys R. Clark | University of Auckland | Biophysical models to predict markers of health in early pregnancy | |
| Francis L. Collins | University of Auckland | Nation and Migration: population mobilities, desires and state practices in 21st century New Zealand | |
| Katie Fitzpatrick | University of Auckland | Rethinking health education and promotion: health capital and diverse youth | |
| Jonathan E. Halpert | Victoria University of Wellington | Novel nanostructured materials and optoelectronic devices: solar cells and LEDs | |
| Kim M. Handley | University of Auckland | Who is eating what in coastal marine sediments? Understanding microbial contributions to coastal marine health, stability and ecosystem functioning. | |
| Michael Knapp | University of Otago | Evolution and conservation of the New Zealand bird fauna - a genomic approach | |
| James C. Russell | University of Auckland | Conservation complexity: scaling vertebrate pest control | |
| Alexander Harwood Taylor | University of Auckland | The signature-testing approach to the evolution of intelligence. | |
| Priscilla M. Wehi | Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research | Indigenous ecological knowledge, introduced species, and the new New Zealand environment | |
| 2015
|
Jane R. Allison | Massey University | Deciphering molecular choreography |
| Peng Du | University of Auckland | A joint experimental-modelling strategy for translational gastrointestinal electrophysiology and motility | |
| Miro Erkintalo | University of Auckland | Lighting up New Zealand: Next-generation laser sources for scientific and industrial applications | |
| Nick Golledge | Victoria University of Wellington | Modelling the response of the Antarctic ice-sheet to a warming world and its contribution to future sea-level rise | |
| Annette M. E. Henderson | University of Auckland | Born and raised to cooperate: Identifying how experience shapes our cooperation foundation | |
| Cate Macinnis-Ng | University of Auckland | Thirsty forests under future climates: impact of drought on native ecosystems | |
| Troy L. Merry | University of Auckland | Beta-catenin facilitates skeletal muscle glucose transport and pancreatic beta-cell insulin secretion | |
| Kevin Norton | Victoria University of Wellington | Are the hotspots cold? Using the world's fastest forming soils to measure the contribution of weathering and erosion to global climate stability | |
| Geoffrey Rodgers | University of Canterbury | Ground-Shaking Research: Damage-Free Buildings and Novel Seismic Monitoring Methods for Resilient Cities | |
| Emma L. Scotter | University of Auckland | The Theory of (not quite) Everything: The neglected role of the blood-brain-barrier in motor neuron disease | |
| Logan C. Walker | University of Otago | Preparing for the future of genomic medicine | |
| Gwenda M. Willis | University of Auckland | What stops convicted sex offenders from reoffending? Developing a strengths-based framework for sexual violence prevention | |
| 2016
|
Baptiste Auguié | Victoria University of Wellington | Light and chirality at the nanoscale |
| Federico Baltar | University of Otago | What makes ‘normal’ normal? Alternative microbial carbon and energy acquisition mechanisms in the neglected high-nutrient low-chlorophyll (HNLC) areas of the ocean | |
| Adam Hartland | University of Waikato | Unlocking the karst record: quantitative proxies of past climates from speleothems | |
| Yoshihiro Kaneko | GNS Science | Structural controls on earthquake behaviour in the Hikurangi subduction mega-thrust | |
| Jenny Malmström | University of Auckland | Signals to cells when and where they are needed | |
| D. G. G. McMillan | University of Canterbury | Biomembrane nanotechnologies for exploring pathogen respiratory adaptation to identify and develop novel antibiotics | |
| Huw Horgan | Victoria University of Wellington | Accelerating ice – the role of water in the flow of ice sheets | |
| Jeremy G. Owen | Victoria University of Wellington | Harnessing the biosynthetic potential of uncultivated microbes for the discovery of new antibiotics | |
| Nicole Roughan | University of Auckland | Jurisprudence without borders: a pluralist theory of law | |
| Rachael C. Shaw | Victoria University of Wellington | Wild intelligence: exploring the evolution, function and conservation applications of cognitive traits | |
| Virginia G. Toy | University of Otago | Weaving the Earth's weak seams: manifestations and mechanical consequences of rock fabric evolution in active faults and shear zones | |
| 2017
|
Emma L. Carroll | University of Auckland | Family matters: developing close kin mark recapture methods to estimate key demographic parameters in natural populations |
| Claire Charters | University of Auckland | Constitutional Transformation to Accommodate Maori in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Lessons from Around the Globe | |
| Aniruddha Chatterjee | University of Otago | Investigating the origin and consequences of epigenetic alterations in cancer metastasis | |
| Christopher E. Cornwall | Victoria University of Wellington | Physiological and environmental controls of coralline algal calcification under climate change | |
| Alex Gavryushkin | University of Otago | Online algorithms in evolutionary biology | |
| David Hayman | Massey University | From individuals to populations: multi-scale approaches to pathogen emergence | |
| Marwan Katurji | University of Canterbury | The invisible realm of atmospheric coherent turbulent structures: Resolving their dynamics and interaction with Earth's surface | |
| Yvette Perrott | Victoria University of Wellington | Realising the potential of galaxy clusters as cosmological probes | |
| Maxim S. Petrov | University of Auckland | Deciphering the metabolic pathways underlying post-pancreatitis diabetes | |
| Melinda Webber | University of Auckland | Kia tu rangatira ai nga iwi Maori: Living, succeeding, and thriving as iwi Maori | |
| 2018
|
Timothy Angeli | University of Auckland | Electrophysiologically-based diagnostics and therapeutics for gastrointestinal disorders: bridging the gap from engineering benchtop to clinical bedside |
| Ceridwen Fraser | University of Otago | The race for new space: disentangling the processes that shape global patterns of biodiversity | |
| Sarah Diermeier | University of Otago | Long non-coding RNAs as new drivers of tumour progression | |
| Jay Marlowe | University of Auckland | Dislocation in an age of connection: Mapping refugee settlement trajectories within an increasingly mobile world | |
| Jonathan Squire | University of Otago | Cosmic Turbulence, Microinstabilities, and the Magnetisation of the Universe | |
| Karen Stockin | Massey University | The application of Artificial Intelligence (AI), innovative technologies and evolutionary theory to address the conservation-welfare nexus during human-wildlife interactions | |
| Lisa Te Morenga | Victoria University of Wellington | Naku te rourou, nau te rourou, ka oranga ai te iwi (With my food basket and your food basket the people will be well) | |
| Alice Theadom | Auckland University of Technology | Developing a biopsychosocial model of mild traumatic brain injury | |
| Jonathan Tonkin | University of Canterbury | Rethinking ecological networks in changing environments | |
| Krushil Watene | Massey University | Intergenerational Justice: Obligations and Decision-Making | |
| 2019
|
David Aguirre | Massey University | Ecosystems on unstable foundations: examining the potential for coral and macroalgal responses to global change |
| Olivia Faull | University of Otago | Breathing and anxiety: Understanding the miscommunication between brain and body, and how best to treat it | |
| Jodie Hunter | Massey University | Developing Mathematical Inquiry Communities: Using a strength based approach to provide equitable opportunities to learn mathematics for diverse learner | |
| Andrew McDaid | University of Auckland | Uncovering new knowledge of neurological and musculoskeletal rehabilitation mechanisms using novel data-driven methods | |
| Alexander Melnikov | Massey University | Applications of modern computability | |
| Volker Nock | University of Canterbury | Electrotaxis and protrusive force generation in fungal and oomycete pathogens – Pathways to new biocontrol strategies | |
| Melanie Ooi | University of Waikato | Resilient and efficient light-based plant detection and characterisation for precision agriculture and environmental sustainability | |
| Matthew Roskruge | Massey University | The economics of social capital from a Māori perspective | |
| Damian Scarf | University of Otago | The Belonging Project | |
| Jenni Stanley | University of Waikato | What does protection sound like? A modern approach to understanding New Zealand's underwater soundscapes and acoustic pressures | |
| Ágnes Szabó | Massey University | Growing old in an adopted land: Cross-fertilizing ageing and acculturation research | |
| 2020
|
Siautu Alefaio-Tugia | Massey University | Redefining the humanitarian landscape: Pacific-diasporic disaster resilience |
| Michele Bannister | University of Canterbury | Emissaries from the darkness: understanding planetary systems through their smallest worlds | |
| Nathaniel Davis | Victoria University of Wellington | Pushing the limits on renewable energy technology through hybrid organic/inorganic nanomaterials | |
| Jemma Geoghegan | University of Otago and ESR | Ecological barriers and drivers of virus emergence | |
| Nathan Kenny | University of Otago | Stretched mussels: tracing the genetic basis of resilience to climate change and ocean acidification in cultured green-lipped mussels (kuku) from genome to embryo | |
| Gabor Kereszturi | Massey University | Caught in action - volcano surveillance with hyperspectral remote sensing | |
| Libby Liggins | Massey University | Tohu of change for Aotearoa New Zealand’s marine biodiversity | |
| Martino Lupini | Victoria University of Wellington | Computing the shape of chaos | |
| Jaimie Veale | University of Waikato | Health inequities, social determinants of health, and gender affirmation: Transgender health research guided by principles of self-determination and informed consent | |
| Adele Williamson | University of Waikato | In extremis: how bacteria replicate, repair and diversify their genomes in challenging environments | |
| 2021
|
Alana Alexander | University of Otago | Creating purakau of past, present, and future conservation impacts using genomics |
| Htin Lin Aung | University of Otago | Development of patient- and community-centric tuberculosis healthcare services: a multidisciplinary approach to close the health inequalities gap | |
| Amanda Black | Lincoln University | Genomes to giants: restoring resilient soil ecosystems in kauri forests | |
| Calum Chamberlain | Victoria University of Wellington | Probing the variability in earthquake nucleation mechanisms in New Zealand | |
| Kelly Dombroski | University of Canterbury | Transitioning to caring economies through transformative community investments | |
| Jessica Lai | Victoria University of Wellington | Patents and power: a critical analysis of knowledge governance | |
| Khoon Lim | University of Otago | 3D bioprinting of functional vascular networks | |
| Samuel Mehr | Victoria University of Wellington | Psychological and cultural foundations of music | |
| Sereana Naepi | University of Auckland | Planning for change: an analysis of neoliberalism, equity and change in higher education | |
| Michael Price | Victoria University of Wellington | The physics of next generation solar panels and light emitters for sustainability | |
| Justin Rustenhoven | University of Auckland | Cleaning the brain drains: augmenting meningeal lymphatic dysfunction in aging and neurodegenerative disease to alleviate cognitive decline. | |
| 2022
|
Ruggiero (Rino) Lovreglio | Massey University | Pedestrian Evacuation Dynamics |
| Laura Revell | University of Canterbury | Airborne microplastics in a changing climate | |
| Michelle LaRue | University of Canterbury | Southern Ocean connections: A metacommunity approach to understanding changes in the marine predator guild | |
| Patrick Savage | University of Auckland | The music-language continuum: A global analysis | |
| Guy Sinclair | University of Auckland | Governing the Pacific: International Legal Ordering in Moana-nui-a-Kiwa | |
| Hannah Waddington | Victoria University of Wellington | Transforming the clinical pathway for young autistic children and their whānau in Aotearoa New Zealand | |
| Holly Winton | Victoria University of Wellington | Southern Ocean phytoplankton and climate: Understanding the ability of phytoplankton to modulate climate in a warmer world | |
| Julie Deslippe | Victoria University of Wellington | Plant-soil interactions, biodiversity and mountain ecosystem function in an era of global change | |
| Kelly Blincoe | University of Auckland | Towards more inclusive software engineering practices and tools to retain women in software engineering | |
| Mathew Anker | Victoria University of Wellington | Lanthanide(II) Hydrides for Nitrogen Fixation and Ammonia Production | |
| Phoebe Macrae | University of Canterbury | Cross-disciplinary characterization of upper aerodigestive function | |
| 2023
|
Natalia Amy Yewdall | University of Canterbury | Enhancing enzyme networks in condensates for carbon capture and sustainable synthesis |
| Simon J. Barker | Victoria University of Wellington | Magma forensics at New Zealand’s volcanoes: understanding the magmatic systems and processes that drive eruptions | |
| Kimberley O'Sullivan | University of Otago | HOusing, energy, and MEntal health and wellbeing (HOME) Programme | |
| Elizabeth Macpherson | University of Canterbury | Blue Carbon Futures in Aotearoa New Zealand: Law, Climate, Resilience | |
| Rosemary Brown | University of Otago | Wiring the brain for motherhood: the critical role of hormones in maternal mood and behaviour | |
| Megan Leask | University of Otago | Omics and molecular strategies for precision medicine target discovery in Māori and Pacific peoples | |
| Emma Nolan | University of Auckland | Tools for our future: harnessing NZ-specific advanced cancer models to drive research discovery in Aotearoa | |
| Lara Greaves | Victoria University of Wellington | More than the 3 Ps: Enhancing Participation in Politics, Policy, the Public Sphere, and Political Science | |
| Tom Logan | University of Canterbury | Incorporating cascading risk and multiple uncertainties into climate adaptation planning | |
| Rebecca Lawton | University of Waikato | Help for kelp in a warming world: A multi-disciplinary toolkit to identify resilience and improve heat tolerance of kelp for restoration and aquaculture | |
| Marta Rychert | Massey University | Harm reduction industries or harmful corporations? Investigating digital and social media influence strategies of the emerging international legal cannabis industry and cannabis vaping sector | |
| Emma Sharp | University of Auckland | Aotearoa New Zealand's diverse soil values: Examining the ontological politics of soil 'management' from the ground up |
Source: Royal Society Te Apārangi[7]