Marsden Fund panels
Definitions of panels and details of panel members
There are eight discipline-based assessment panels which make funding recommendations to the Marsden Fund Council. The panels are made up of researchers who are experts in their field. They are appointed by the Royal Society Te Apārangi after being recommended by the Fund Council and usually serve for a maximum of three years.
On this page:
- Biomedical Sciences
- Cellular, Molecular and Physiological Biology
- Earth Sciences and Astronomy
- Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour
- Economics and Human and Behavioural Sciences
- Engineering and Interdisciplinary Sciences
- Mathematical and Information Sciences
- Physics, Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Potential Panellists
Biomedical Sciences (BMS)
Research related to human health and disease in: physiology, pathology, pharmacology, molecular biology, genetics, cell biology, microbiology; neurobiology (including animals as a model species for humans); human genomics and related bioinformatics.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Professor Colin Brown (Convenor) | University of Otago |
| Dr Jacky Suen | University of Queensland |
| Dr Lisa Connor | Malaghan Institute of Medical Research |
| Dr Nikki Freed | University of Auckland |
| Dr Sarah Herridge | BioNTech |
| Dr Megan Leask | University of Otago |
| Dr Vanessa Morris | University of Canterbury |
| Associate Professor Pawel Olszewski | University of Waikato |
| Professor Simon Swift | University of Auckland |
| Dr William Kelton | University of Waikato |
| Associate Professor Ari Samaranayaka | University of Otago |
| Dr Alex Semprini | Medical Research Institute of New Zealand |
Cellular, Molecular and Physiological Biology (CMP)
Studies related to understanding the activities that occur in cells and tissues, and their integration within living organisms across the biological, agricultural and veterinary and biochemical sciences. This includes: plant physiology; animal physiology; cell biology; plant and animal genetics; molecular biology and molecular genetics; functional genomics and related bioinformatics; microbiology excluding microbial ecology; animal and plant pathology.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Professor Richard Newcomb (Convenor) | Plant & Food Research |
| Dr David Crossman | University of Auckland |
| Associate Professor Liz Ledgerwood | University of Otago |
| Dr Jay Jayaraman | Plant & Food Research |
| Professor Colleen Higgins | Auckland University of Technology |
| Dr Adele Williamson | University of Waikato |
| Professor Jenny Mortimer | University of Adelaide |
| Professor Patrick Biggs | Massey University |
Earth Sciences and Astronomy (ESA)
Including: geology; geophysics; physical geography; oceanography; hydrology; meteorology; atmospheric science; earth sciences; astronomy and astrophysics; also cross-disciplinary topics which include substantial components in some of these areas.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Professor Jan Lindsay (Convenor) | University of Auckland |
| Associate Professor Michael Brown | Monash University |
| Doctor Denise Fernandez | National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research |
| Associate Professor Marwan Katurji | University of Canterbury |
| Associate Professor Leanne Morgan | University of Canterbury |
| Associate Professor Julia Mullarney | University of Waikato |
| Professor Mark Stirling | University of Otago |
| Associate Professor Gavin Dunbar | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Professor John Foden | University of Adelaide |
Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour (EEB)
Studies related to the interrelationships between organisms and their environment, evolution and behaviour. This includes: animal, plant and microbial ecology; biogeography; biodiversity; phylogenetics; systematics and evolution; population biology and genetics; animal behaviour; physiological plant ecology; biostatistics and modelling. Note that proposals seeking to establish the molecular basis of processes or traits are better sent to CMP or BMS panels, unless they materially concern the evolution of those processes or traits.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Professor Jacqueline Beggs (Convenor) | University of Auckland |
| Associate Professor Kim Handley | University of Auckland |
| Professor Simon Ho | University of Sydney |
| Dr Angela McGaughran | University of Waikato |
| Associate Professor Craig Radford | University of Auckland |
| Dr Alice Rogers | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Dr Simon Stewart | Cawthron Institute |
| Associate Professor Matthew Stott | University of Canterbury |
| Dr Paul Szyszka | University of Otago |
Economics and Human and Behavioural Sciences (EHB)
Including: economics; psychology (experimental, cognitive, neuro-); cognitive science; cognitive linguistics; archaeology; biological anthropology; business studies; commerce; management studies; marketing; communication science and demography.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Convenor | Vacant; TBC |
| Dr Elham Bahmanteymouri | University of Auckland |
| Dr Paul Dalziel | Wellbeing Economics |
| Professor Siân Halcrow | University of Otago |
| Dr Sam Manuela | University of Auckland |
| Associate Professor Susan Olivia | University of Waikato |
| Professor Vincent Reid | University of Waikato |
| Professor Maree Roche | University of Auckland |
| Professor Matthew Roskruge | Massey University |
| Dr Grace Villamor | Scion |
| Professor Lianne Woodward | University of Canterbury |
Engineering and Interdisciplinary Sciences (EIS)
Including: fundamentals of engineering (biomedical, bioprocessing, civil, chemical, electrical, electronic, environmental, materials, mechanical and robotics); and cross-disciplinary research relating to engineering.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Distinguished Professor Geoff Chase (Convenor) | University of Canterbury |
| Associate Professor Peng Cao | University of Auckland |
| Dr Hin Lim | University of Waikato |
| Professor Melissa Knothe Tate | Blue Mountains Interdisciplinary Innovation Institute |
| Dr Filicia Wicaksana | University of Auckland |
| Professor Tracie Barber | University of New South Wales |
| Dr Peter Murmu | GNS Science |
| Associate Professor Brooke Farrugia | University of Melbourne |
| Professor Mathieu Sellier | University of Canterbury |
| Professor Mike Duke | University of Waikato |
Mathematical and Information Sciences (MIS)
Including: pure mathematics; applied mathematics; statistics; operations research; logic; computer science; information systems; and software engineering.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Convenor | Vacant; TBC |
| Associate Professor Ting Wang | University of Otago |
| Associate Professor Kelly Blincoe | University of Auckland |
| Professor Clemency Montelle | University of Canterbury |
| Emeritus Professor Mick Roberts | Massey University |
| Professor Alan Fekete | University of Sydney |
| Professor Felipe Voloch | University of Canterbury |
| Associate Professor Steven Mills | University of Otago |
| Professor Richard Arnold | Victoria University of Wellington |
Physics, Chemistry and Biochemistry (PCB)
Including: materials science; physics; chemistry; biophysics, chemical biology and biochemistry.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Convenor | Vacant; TBC |
| Associate Professor Jane Allison | The University of Auckland |
| Professor Simone Ciampi | Curtin University |
| Professor Matthew Davis | The University of Queensland |
| Professor Catherine Bishop | University of Canterbury |
| Associate Professor Erin Leitao | The University of Auckland |
| Professor Renae Ryan | The University of Sydney |
| Associate Professor Jonathan Squire | University of Otago |
| Professor Shane Telfer | Massey University |
TBC = to be confirmed. Not a complete list yet.
Potential Panellists
The Marsden Fund secretariat at the Royal Society Te Apārangi maintains a list of potential panellists. If individuals wish to signal their availability to serve on a Marsden Fund Panel in 2025 or beyond, they should contact Dr Rachel Averill at the Royal Society Te Apārangi with their contact details, affiliation, a clear preference for which panel they would be suitable for, and ideally a link to their institutional web page.
Panellists are appointed by the Chief Executive of the Royal Society Te Apārangi based on the recommendation of the Marsden Fund panel Convenor. Appointments are made on a year-by-year basis for each calendar year. Panellists must be experienced researchers in an appropriate field and may be drawn from outside New Zealand if necessary.
In considering the suitability of potential panellists, the following requirements for panel composition should be taken into account as appropriate:
- mix of discipline expertise;
- institutional balance;
- geographic representation; and
- diversity/gender balance.
Panellists may not apply as a named as Principal or Associate Investigators to the panel they are serving on in that year. The Royal Society Te Apārangi will call for nominations from interested parties. Individuals can nominate themselves or institutes can nominate staff to serve on panels. All nominations received will be passed on to the relevant Convenor for consideration.