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Marsden in 2025: Investing in our future with today’s best and brightest ideas

Investing in our best for the benefit of us all, Te Pūtea Rangahau a Marsden, the Marsden Fund in 2025 is supporting novel fundamental research into new medications and therapies, more profitable crops, predicting the scale of natural disasters, smarter traffic lights to ease traffic congestion, and increasing economic opportunities in our local towns

Marsden i te tau 2025: Te haumi ki tō tātou anamata mā ngā whakaaro rawe, papai hoki

Mā te ha...
  • Mā te haumi ki ngā mea pai rawa mō te painga o te katoa, kei te tautoko Te Pūtea Rangahau a Marsden i te tau 2025 i ngā rangahau taketake hou ki ngā rongoā me ng...

I never asked for this: How employees and employers maintain healthy relationships during times of social change
  • Reciprocity, or give and take, keeps relationships strong, including the dynamic relationship between organisations and individuals...

Unlocking Earth’s deep secrets to power a green-energy future

Dr David Byrne from Earth Sciences...
  • Dr David Byrne from Earth Sciences New Zealand will develop a new way to understand the history of water trapped deep within the Earth's crust, a critical step towards ...

Tales of time and scale: Looking back in time through Aotearoa’s rock art, and forward to revitalisation and kaitiakitanga
  • An interdisciplinary project, co-led by Amanda Symon from the Ngāi Tahu Māori Rock Art Trust and Dr Phil Novis from the Bioeconomy Science Institute, in partnership w...

Keeping the pressure on in the second half: Shape-shifting cancer treatments designed to prevent drug-resistance
  • Professor Vyacheslav Filichev from Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University will develop shape-shifting drugs designed to stop cancers from becoming resistant to ...

Making the most of Aotearoa New Zealand's cities and towns

Dr Stuart Donovan from Motu Economic an...
  • Dr Stuart Donovan from Motu Economic and Public Policy Research Trust will investigate the costs and benefits for people and organisations when they are located closely...

Can we treat one of New Zealand’s deadliest cancers with a vaccine?

The liver cancer, hepatocell...
  • The liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma has one of the highest mortality rates of any cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad...

Why it goes pear-shaped: Exploring the genetic control of complex fruit structures

Dr Jia-Long Yao...
  • Dr Jia-Long Yao from the Bioeconomy Science Institute will investigate genetic mechanisms that shape complex fruit structures, with potential applications for fruit bre...

Harnessing the unique microbiomes of New Zealand’s native plants for stronger, more resilient crops
  • Dr Hanareia Ehau-Taumaunu from the Bioeconomy Science Institute will explore whether increasing microbial biodiversity using native plants can boost crop health and dis...

To tree or not to tree: New algorithms to better represent evolution

Evolutionary trees have a lon...
  • Evolutionary trees have a long history of use in biology, but they don’t always tell the whole story...

Tales of time and scale: Uncovering hidden ingredients of our universe

An interdisciplinary projec...
  • An interdisciplinary project co-led by Professor Renate Meyer and Professor Richard Easther from Waipapa Taumata Rau – the University of Auckland, has won a Marsden F...

Using AI to catch the next galactic supernova in real-time

Dr Matt Edwards from Waipapa Taumata Ra...
  • Dr Matt Edwards from Waipapa Taumata Rau – the University of Auckland will use artificial intelligence (AI) to hunt for the gravitational waves from exploding stars, ...

Learning with Indigenous communities through archaeology, philosophy, history, and mātauranga Māori

  • Professor Thegn Ladefoged and Associate Professor Krushil Watene from Waipapa Taumata Rau – the University of Auckland will explore how Indigenous communities can flo...

The personal touch: Combining 3D printing and virtual reality to create objects with tactile qualities
  • Dr Donald Degraen from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha – the University of Canterbury will combine 3D printing with virtual reality to enable precise control over how obj...

Smart signals: Can data from self-driving cars save us from traffic jams?

Dr Wai Wong, from Te Wha...
  • Dr Wai Wong, from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha – the University of Canterbury, aims to combat traffic congestion by using real-time data from connected and automated v...

Breathe easy: A home-based “breathalyser” for managing chronic respiratory diseases

Dr Ella Gu...
  • Dr Ella Guy from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha – the University of Canterbury will develop an innovative device resembling a breathalyser that can be used at home to mo...

Can DNA methylation explain the mysterious metamorphosis of tuna?

New Zealand freshwater eels (tun...
  • New Zealand freshwater eels (tuna) have remarkable life cycles, involving dramatic transformations and long-distance migration...

Could pollution-hungry parasites clean up our oceans?

Dr Jerusha Bennett from Ōtākou Whakaihu Wa...
  • Dr Jerusha Bennett from Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – the University of Otago will investigate the role of parasites in mopping up marine pollution

Preventing gene-repair to curb the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs

Dr Adele Williamson, fro...
  • Dr Adele Williamson, from Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato – the University of Waikato, is investigating a bacterial enzyme that acts like a “DNA repair kit,” allowing...

A hunt for enzymes to revolutionise plastic recycling

To address the plastic pollution crisis, Pro...
  • To address the plastic pollution crisis, Professor David Ackerley, Director of Te Matapihipihi The Centre for Biodiscovery at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of...

Enzymatic solutions for the next generation of sustainable dyes

Dr Alistair Brown from Te Herenga ...
  • Dr Alistair Brown from Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington aims to develop environmentally sustainable, genetically engineered bacteria to produce a b...

Developing new antifungal compounds from a New Zealand marine sponge to fight fungal infections
  • Natural antifungal compounds from a humble sea sponge may have life-saving potential...

Movements below the surface: Earthquake and tsunami potential of the Hikurangi Subduction Zone
  • Professor Martha Savage FRSNZ, from Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington will resolve the size of the biggest earthquake that could be produced by the ...

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