PhD, Master’s & Postdoc Opportunities in Environmental Science in New Zealand

NIWA offers recurring postdoctoral fellowships that support its research programmes and give early career researchers the chance to lead a major research project in a defined area of science. Fellows work under the guidance of a senior scientist while also contributing to other research and consulting projects, gaining broader experience across NIWA’s science and applied research environment. The programme is designed for researchers who want to apply their expertise to practical questions in Ne...

Fully funded PhD position in Logistics and Supply Chain Management at the University of Waikato in New Zealand, starting in March 2027. The thesis will investigate decision support for emergency fuel supply in New Zealand. The project will model post-disaster diesel supply disruptions and evaluate potential interventions, contributing to research on natural hazards, supply chain resilience and emergency logistics. The doctoral researcher will use network analysis, optimisation modelling and simu...

A fully funded PhD opportunity is available in conservation ecology at the University of Waikato, New Zealand . The thesis, titled “Fuel for Recovery: Using food-web science to improve translocation success of threatened birds,” will investigate how food-web science can support the conservation and successful translocation of threatened bird species. The project is associated with the Invertebrate Behavioural Ecology and EcoDiv Labs and will be supervised by Dr. Chrissie Painting . Research inte...

The University of Otago’s Department of Zoology invites applications for a fixed-term, part-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow position in parasitology, marine pollution ecology, wildlife health and conservation biology. Funded by a Royal Society Te Apārangi Marsden Fast-Start grant titled “The gift of infection: using parasites to tackle marine pollution,” the project will investigate whether gastrointestinal parasites act as biofilters of environmental contaminants in marine ecosystems. The res...

PhD opportunity at The University of Auckland in Civil Engineering , with a focus on natural hazards , risk assessment , resilience , geospatial analysis , and vulnerability modelling. The project will develop vulnerability models for primary production land and assets , addressing how natural hazards can damage buildings, infrastructure, and productive land. The post notes that the supervisor’s main interests include water-related hazards such as flooding and tsunamis , while the wider supervis...

Fully funded PhD opportunity at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, in community-led natural hazard resilience in indigenous landscapes . This project sits within the Natural Hazards and Resilience Platform (Te Pae Tūroa) and is a strong fit for students interested in environmental science, geography, earth science, law, urban planning, disaster resilience, climate adaptation , and community-engaged research. Eligibility highlights: a master's degree in Law, Policy and Planning, Disaster ...

Funded PhD opportunity at the University of Canterbury in Aotearoa New Zealand on Indigenous-led coastal resilience , with a focus on the legal, policy and planning frameworks that support or undermine resilience across estuaries, wetlands, lakes, rivers, lagoons, and the ocean. The project is part of an interdisciplinary team and is described as a locally-grown PhD designed to deliver impact for local Indigenous peoples and broader communities. The research theme connects law , environmental sc...

Postdoctoral opportunity in plant physiology , electronic engineering , and mathematics at Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand. Professor Sebastian Leuzinger shared that a postdoc is now available in his group for a highly interdisciplinary, “very blue sky” research project. The role is framed as a Research Fellow position and appears to sit at the intersection of plant ecology, global change science, and engineering/mathematical approaches. This is a strong fit for candidates who c...

Fully funded PhD opportunity at the University of Canterbury in natural hazard resilience , Indigenous landscapes , Māori-led community resilience , climate adaptation , policy and planning , and law . The project is hosted at UC Civil and Environmental Engineering and is funded by the Natural Hazards and Resilience Platform Te Pae Tūroa. The PhD topic is Holistic community-led natural hazard resilience in Indigenous landscapes . It focuses on Māori communities whose ancestral territories are ad...