Otago researchers gain major Marsden funding

Thursday 6 October 2011

Otago researchers gain major Marsden funding

University of Otago researchers have gained $17.8 million to undertake 26 leading-edge projects in the Marsden Fund annual round announced today.
The extremely competitive Marsden Fund is regarded as a hallmark of excellence, allowing New Zealand’s best researchers to explore their ideas. In the latest round, projects will be led by researchers from across the University’s four divisions of Commerce, Health Sciences, Humanities and Science.

For the seventh successive year, Otago researchers have gained the largest share of funding available in the round. The research topics they will address range from delving into the physics of ultra-cold atoms to critically examining the notion of ‘informed choice’ in young adult smokers.

Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) Professor Helen Nicholson says that Otago’s “fantastic” showing in the round, which sees the University’s researchers gain one-third of the total pool of $53.8 million, reflects their high calibre and the excellence of the projects they proposed.
“I am extremely proud of our researchers’ sterling performance, especially given that the Marsden Fund involves a rigorous application process that this year saw only 8.2% of the 1078 preliminary proposals nationwide being funded.”

Otago’s result also highlights the continuing emphasis the University places on supporting a strong research culture among staff, Professor Nicholson says.
The innovative Otago projects funded in the latest round include investigations into the physical world around us, such as: the strange properties of ultra-cold atoms; new nanotechnologies; earthquake mechanisms deep under the Alpine Fault; factors which affect the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide; and parasite transmission in freshwater eco-systems.

land’s plants and animals, including the question of whether some of our iconic coastal species are actually relatively new arrivals from overseas; to use latest techniques to chart the emergence of ancient Asian civilisations and, in another project, to delve into how, when and where cattle were domesticated.
Among projects with a biomedical focus are investigations into a tumour suppressor gene variant; early embryo development; a possible new mechanism regulating the immune system; and other studies involving aspects of DNA and certain proteins that are vital to normal health and development. The mystery of why females of many species choose to mate with old males will also be explored in one project.

Neuroscience-related studies focus on the role of new nerve cells in memory storage; the genetic basis of independent hand movements; and the neural basis of ambitiousness.

Projects in the humanities and social sciences will involve examination of medieval influences on modernist literature; how the interactions between researchers and ethics committees might be improved through post-research conversations; and whether tobacco companies’ claims that smokers make ‘informed’ decisions to smoke match young adults’ experiences or if ‘informed choice’ is an oxymoron that inhibits tobacco control.

Eight of the Otago projects are ‘Fast-Start’ grants designed to support outstanding early-career researchers. All 26 projects run for three years and the funding amounts are spread over this period.

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