Research

Learn about the research happening in the Wellington Faculty of Science, New Zealand’s leading hub of science research.

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington’s commitment to world-class scientific research has positioned it first among New Zealand universities.

Research is fundamental to the activities of all Schools, Centres, and Institutes in the Faculty of Science. The content of our teaching programmes is informed and kept current by the research of staff in each School.

Postgraduate students are a key part of the research conducted at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. Many postgraduate students carry out work that leads to scientific breakthroughs, and their work is regularly presented at international conferences and in peer-reviewed international journals. The Schools within the Faculty of Science offer postgraduate students a wide variety of options for study in their chosen field. Honours, Master's, and PhD students all conduct varied and interesting research, with the support and supervision of academic staff.

Research performance at Victoria University of Wellington, along with all New Zealand tertiary education providers, is assessed by the Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF). In the most recent PBRF Quality Evaluation the Tertiary Education Commission ranked Victoria University of Wellington number one in New Zealand for research quality. Within the Faculty of Science:

  • Earth Sciences was ranked first among New Zealand universities for research quality.
  • We ranked in the top three universities for Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, Molecular, Cellular and Whole Organism Biology, and Pure and Applied Mathematics.

In international rankings, in the most recent QS World Rankings by Subject Development Studies and Geography at this university were ranked in the top 100, while Geology, Psychology, and Earth and Marine Sciences were in the top 150.

The University places a high value on its academic staff and invests significantly in their research programmes and the postgraduate students they supervise. Success in gaining contested research funding from external sources such as the Marsden Fund and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's research funds, adds millions of dollars each year to the research budget and demonstrates the national and international standing of the Faculty's scientists.

More information on our current research is available on each School's research pages: