Master, PhD, and Research Positions at University of Otago

12 September 2021

In this post, all available Postgraduate research opportunities such as Master’s and PhD Levels and Research Fellowships at the University of Otago, Wellington in New Zealand has listed.

University of Otago

Otago University is the largest university in New Zealand, with a student population of over 21,500, around 1500 Academic staff, and 2500 Administrative staff. It was established in 1869 and has been offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees since 1877.

Otago is a public university that offers degrees in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The University’s motto is “Truth will prevail”.

The university has eight faculties: Arts, Business, Education, Engineering & Technology, Law (including Human Rights), Medicine & Health Sciences, Science & Environment and Social Sciences.

Available Funded PhD and Master Positions at the University of Otago

Here you can find all available Postgraduate Programmes at the University of Otago.

Title: Public Housing Research Opportunity

Academic background: Health Sciences

Host campus: Wellington

Qualifications: Master’s

Department: Public Health (Wellington)

Summary:

The shortage of affordable housing in Aotearoa New Zealand has led to a cascade of housing related issues, causing poorer health and well-being outcomes. Public housing and its effects on individual and community well-being in Aotearoa is poorly understood. We are looking for a master’s candidate to contribute research on the comparative economic and social effectiveness of differing public housing and urban regeneration models to increase well-being outcomes.

We offer a Master of Public Health student to join the New Zealand Centre of Sustainable Cities at the University of Otago (Wellington campus). This is an opportunity to join a New Zealand first, applying a well-being framework to large-scale public housing initiatives, where mana whenua, iwi and Māori urban authorities are major partners with the Crown and local government.

Through this master’s course you will produce a 40,000-word thesis, conducting qualitative narrative interviews, analysing the data to compare findings from the IDI (Integrated Data Infrastructure).

Student applicants will need to have a strong academic record and high motivation (though public housing experience is also valued).Register your interest

More Details and Apply.

Title: Using health behaviour change to improve the physical health outcomes of young people experiencing first episode psychosis

Academic background: Sciences, Health Sciences

Host campus: Wellington

Qualifications: PhD, Master’s

Department: Psychological Medicine (Wellington)

Summary:

People living with psychosis die at a much younger age than the general population, primarily due to poor cardiometabolic health. The effects of medication are implicated in these outcomes, positive health behaviours such regular physical activity, good nutrition, and abstinence from smoking and other substances can help to mitigate risks to physical health.

Early intervention is crucial, before physical health deteriorates to the point it becomes irreversible and behavioural patterns are still amenable to change. Therefore, we are aiming to support young people who are experiencing their first episode of psychosis to lead healthy lives. This project may draw upon, among other things, co-design, motivational theory, aspects of nutrition and exercise prescription, pharmacology, and psychiatry to develop programmes alongside these young people. It is therefore suitable for a wide range of students at Masters and PhD levels.

Please note that this project is not yet funded and would therefore involve the preparation of a scholarship application in conjunction with the research team.

More Details and Apply.

Title: Molecular biomarkers in colorectal cancer

Academic background: Sciences, Health Sciences

Host campus: Wellington

Qualifications: Honours, Master’s, PhD

Department: Surgery and Anaesthesia (Wellington)

Summary:

We have opportunities available for students from both scientific and clinical backgrounds to undertake research projects on molecular biomarkers in colorectal cancer. This includes the use of extracellular vesicles and RNA as liquid biopsy markers for the detection of tumour and for the prediction of response to treatment. Please see the Surgical Cancer Research Group page for more information on the work we do and contact us for specific details of projects available.

More Details and Apply.

Title: Public perceptions of genomic medicine

Academic background: Health Sciences

Host Campus: Wellington

Qualifications: PhD

Department: Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women’s Health (Wellington)

Summary:

Genomic medicine is poised to change the face of medicine, and likely it will, but what do New Zealanders know about it, and more importantly what do they want to know about it? In fact, there are a lot of questions that we need to ask – how do New Zealanders view their DNA – is it theirs as an individual or the family’s? We are proposing to undertake a nationally representative survey and focus groups with the New Zealand public to find out. We need to open the dialogue between clinicians, researchers and the public; and we urgently need answers to these questions to inform genomic research, policy and ethical practice so that the people it is intending to benefit have a voice in how it is used.

More Details and Apply.

Title: Māori Masters Scholarship (University of Otago PhD)

Academic background: Health Sciences

Host Campus: Dunedin, Wellington, Christchurch

Qualifications: Master’s

Department: Preventive and Social Medicine (Dunedin), Population Health (Christchurch), Public Health (Wellington)

Summary:

Applications are invited for a Masters scholarship to undertake research on how to support Māori to have sustainable and healthy kai, what interventions and policies Māori would respond to, as well as any current barriers to shifting dietary intake.

Eating healthy kai is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.

Differences in dietary intake have contributed to differences in health outcomes between Māori and non-Māori so it is essential that dietary interventions and policies to be implemented in Aotearoa are as acceptable and effective for Māori as non-Māori.

The successful candidate should have experience or interest in public health, nutrition, health equity or social justice, and have high levels of cultural competence for working with Māori. Ideally, the candidate will have some previous experience in qualitative research.

Applicants must meet University of Otago and Departmental requirements for entry into Masters study.

More Details and Apply.

Title: Principlism and medical ethics (University of Otago)

Academic background: Health Sciences

Host Campus: Wellington

Qualification: PhD

Department: Psychological Medicine (Wellington)

Summary: Modern medicine is rapidly evolving, with increasingly complex interventions and increasing information as to risks, benefits and consequences. In parallel with this there is a growing understanding of the place of personhood in modern society with increasing emphasis on individual rights and active participation in decision making. This questions the fundamental basis on which doctors engage with patients, how doctors, patients and society (via the courts) adjudicate on their interactions and what actually happens.

Currently the doctor-patient relationship is fundamentally grounded in principlism, the bioethical grounding as described by Beauchamp and Childress. Their four principles approach is appealing to clinicians for multiple reasons; largely it is easily grasped by the busy medical fraternity, simple to operationalise and is reflected by the courts which tend to make judgements that give weight to autonomy and treat competence as the bright line test that determines whether beneficence and non-maleficence should trump. The four principles approach has been dominant in medical ethics for more than five decades and appears to be increasingly unfit for purpose in the modern medical world. Evidence of this can be found both in the amount of defensive practice, the growth of medical indemnity and increasingly legislation against doctors by patients. Paradoxically this may mean patients are harmed by engagements that are more defensive than potentially in the patient’s best interests, at least by their own perspective.

This research opportunity aims to examine these issues and problems in greater detail. A close examination of the practical application of principlism, and alternative bioethical models will be followed by a qualitative examination of the theoretical underpinnings by engaged stakeholders: patients, families, doctors, bioethicists and other engaged groups. From this, potential alternatives to principlism will be developed, with an emphasis of a capacity to be operationalised by the medical profession.

More Details and Apply.

Title: Making it work – understanding and assessing residential rehabilitation in the Salvation Army context (University of Otago)

Academic background: Sciences, Health Sciences

Host Campus: Wellington

Qualification: PhD

Department: Psychological Medicine (Wellington)

Summary: Research into the rehabilitation of addiction has a long history, however despite the wealth of research, development of novel interventions and increasing understanding of the harms of many drugs of abuse, prevalence rates remain high as does the damage these drug do. Possible problems in translating research into practice include differences in the social and political factors that prevent generalisability of research and the ability of services to translate research into practice. An obvious solution to this problem is to engage in clinically oriented research, examining in depth programs embedded within operating services. This allows questions of purpose, approach, personnel and population to be addressed.

This PhD project aims to answer these questions for a residential rehabilitation service in Wellington, New Zealand. This service is run by the Salvation Army, an international church-based organisation who provide an AA-oriented residential service with a spiritual element. The project may initially involve developing an understanding of the addictions context internationally and in New Zealand, with a view to developing a general theory of the context of the Salvation Army service. This could then be tested, using a grounded theory approach with service users, ex-service users, and staff. The theory developed could be further examined quantitatively, by obtaining demographic, addiction, and outcome data on a cohort of patients within and through the service in order to examine how closely outcome matches the principles of treatment, and what, if any changes could potential improve these outcomes. Areas such as religion, spirituality, and ethnicity are relatively under-researched and of potential interest.

Funding is available to cover the costs of the project, but not a salary for the candidate. Contestable scholarships are available at the University of Otago.

More Details and Apply.

Title: The role of inflammation shaping the response to acute myocardial infarction (University of Otago)

Academic background: Sciences, Health Sciences

Host Campus: Wellington

Qualifications: Honours, Master’s, PhD

Department: Surgery and Anaesthesia (Wellington)

Summary: We have a range of projects characterising the influence of the immune system on the healing response that occurs within the heart after a myocardial infarction. There are opportunities at honours, master’s, and PhD level.

More Details and Apply.

Title: Public perceptions of genomic medicine (University of Otago)

Academic background: Health Sciences

Host Campus: Wellington

Qualification: PhD

Department: Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women’s Health (Wellington)

Summary: Genomic medicine is poised to change the face of medicine, and likely it will, but what do New Zealanders know about it, and more importantly what do they want to know about it? In fact, there are a lot of questions that we need to ask – how do New Zealanders view their DNA – is it theirs as an individual or the family’s? We are proposing to undertake a nationally representative survey and focus groups with the New Zealand public to find out. We need to open the dialogue between clinicians, researchers and the public; and we urgently need answers to these questions to inform genomic research, policy and ethical practice so that the people it is intending to benefit have a voice in how it is used.

More Details and Apply.

Available Academic Positions at the University of Otago

Here you can find all available Academic Positions at the University of Otago.

Title: Postdoctoral Fellow – Centre for Sustainability

Position Type

Postdoctoral Fellowship

Location

University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

Salary

$86,210 per annum

Deadline

Applications must be submitted by October 6, 2024.

Position Overview

This Postdoctoral Fellowship is located at the University of Otago’s Centre for Sustainability and is part of the Ngā Ngaru Wakapuke – Building Resilience to future earthquake sequences program. The fellow will collaborate with Research Associate Professor Caroline Orchiston and engage in applied research on natural hazard risks in the central Aotearoa New Zealand Transition Zone, focusing on areas like the Alpine Fault and Hikurangi Subduction Zone.

Key Responsibilities

  • Support the co-design of scenario narratives within the research team.
  • Review and become well-versed in relevant literature and policies.
  • Employ mixed methods for data collection, conduct interviews, and perform thematic analysis.
  • Develop innovative ways to communicate risk models to various stakeholders including communities, iwi, and policymakers.
  • Present research findings at meetings, workshops, and conferences.

Candidate Profile

Required Criteria

  • PhD in a related field such as disaster risk, resilience research, social sciences, earth science, or geography.
  • Strong interdisciplinary background with a focus on risk and disaster research.
  • Ability to work independently, prioritize tasks, and adhere to deadlines.
  • Proficient in both written and oral communication, capable of engaging with diverse knowledge systems.
  • Interest in community resilience, multi-hazard risk, business resilience, and disaster risk reduction.

Desired Traits

  • Creative thinking skills.
  • Good sense of humor and ability to work well within a team.

Additional Information

  • This is a full-time role (1 FTE), fixed-term for 2.5 years, with potential negotiation for a 0.8 FTE position for a longer duration.
  • Start date is flexible but ideally in early 2025.
  • Applicants must have the right to live and work in New Zealand.

More Details and Apply.

Interested in pursuing a fully funded PhD in New Zealand?

Would you like to know the salary amount of PhD and postdoc positions in Europe? 

You can find all the available full-funded PhD positions in different countries here.

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