Associate Professor and botanist David Burritt is working towards glyphosate-free weedkillers, using marine compounds from seaweed to battle convolvulus, woolly nightshade, and other C4 weeds that cause problems for crops ✨ Read more about David's work here ⬇️

Otago Professor Melanie Bussey, from the School of Physical Education, has been analysing the data from smart mouthguards. Her research shows that this model doesn't account for people of different sex, age and size, meaning that serious injuries are more likely to be missed 🤔📉🏉 Read more ⬇️

Science and sports are a great mix for this Otago student 👩‍🔬 Meet Akaina Tuiono, second-year Pharmacy student and star pétanque player for NZ 💫 She recently competed in the Trans-Tasman pétanque tournament in Australia, just the latest in a growing list of tournaments she's competed in. Read more ⬇

Two researchers. Two global health challenges. 🦠💊 Two Otago Faculty of Biomedical Sciences projects have received support from the New Zealand – China Strategic Research Alliance. Read more here ⬇

A study shows that there has been an increase in the use of antinausea medicines during pregnancies in NZ. Dr Sarah Donald of Otago's Department of Public Health says, with increased use, further information on the safety of antinausea medication will help guide better treatment decisions. Read ⬇️

Ngā mihi nui Associate Professor Nic Rawlence 💙💛 Winner of the Prime Minister Science Communication Prize 🏆 “We'd like to get science out of the lab and into museum collections, and out into the field ... Bring science to the people,” Nic says. Read more here ⬇️ www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroo...

Young people with bowel cancer are waiting months for a diagnosis, are frequently misdiagnosed, and often receive little information and support, researchers from Otago's Faculty of Medicine and Bowel Cancer NZ have found 🔬 Read more here ⬇️

Tiny fish. Big adaption 🐟 New Otago research shows that whitebait can rapidly switch their life-cycles in response to sudden environmental changes. Senior author Professor Jonathan Waters says this can occur after significant events, such as earthquakes ⚡🌍 Read more ⬇️

What if a student’s research could help save a lake? 🐟❤️ WAI Wānaka, in partnership with Otago and Lincoln University, has launched a new studentship programme to support emerging researchers working to protect and enhance freshwater health 💫 Read more ⬇️

International food researcher Dr André Brodkorb has been named as this year's Harraways Visiting Professor at Otago 💭🥣✨ The professorship programme was established with Otago in 2017 to celebrate Harraway and Sons Ltd’s 150th anniversary ✨ Read more here ⬇️

“You can’t get much more rural than the Chathams." 🏝️🩺 Meet final-year medical students Jack Clerke and Leo Ashcroft. Last month, they finished a unique five-week rural GP placement on the Chatham Islands 🌊 Read more about their experience here ⬇️

Resonating with students is the rewarding part 💫✨ History programme Associate Professor Miranda Johnson has been awarded the Ian Langham Memorial Lectureship Prize for her outstanding research. Read more here ⬇️ www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroo...

OPINION: Estimates of illicit tobacco use in Aotearoa New Zealand differ sharply. Although tobacco industry-funded studies suggest the illicit tobacco market is large and growing rapidly, independent research has consistently found much lower levels. Read more ⬇️

New research has found that a drug commonly used to treat type-2 diabetes may also help reduce the risk of prostate cancer 💙 Read more ⬇️

Otago Geology PhD candidates Natalie-Jane Reid and Luisa Fontanot recently joined 30 top scientists in a sediment core workshop to scan and analyse 228m of ancient mud and rock retrieved from under the ice sheet at Crary Ice Rise in Antarctica’s Ross Sea 🌊 Read more here ⬇️

OPINION: As winter takes hold and more people spend time indoors, respiratory illnesses are expected to begin spreading more widely through communities. But while the seasonal return of viruses is familiar, New Zealand’s respiratory landscape is still not quite back to normal. Read more ⬇️

OPINION: For many people, the thought of a tasty burger or a cold pint of beer conjures up a vivid mental image and drives behaviour. This link between thinking and doing serves a clear function – it motivates us to get the necessities for life. Read more ⬇️

60 years on, the questions are bigger than ever 🎓 International and New Zealand experts will gather in Dunedin next week for the 60th Otago Foreign Policy School celebration to examine how New Zealand should respond to growing global pressures and challenges. Read more ⬇️

Shuttlecocks and Spirit Awards 🏆🏸 Three students from the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology recently competed at the 2026 Tertiary Badminton Cup. They ranked fourth overall and were awarded the Spirit Award for determination and passion for the sport 💪 Read more here ⬇️

Top 200 looks good on us - and the numbers agree 😎 The latest QS World University Rankings are out, and we’re proud to still be among the world’s top 200 universities 🌎 With over 1,500 institutions evaluated, QS offers the most comprehensive view of global higher education 💙💛

We love a win-win situation 🧪✨ The Queenstown Lakes District Council has partnered with the Otago Business School, inviting postgraduate students to tackle local economic issues and growth 📈 🤝 Read more here ⬇️

New Otago-led research has given Pavlov’s famous dog experiment a modern twist, revealing new insights into how the brain learns by pairing flashes of light with rewards in rodents 🧠💡 Read more ⬇️

Aliens at Otago?? 🤯🛸 ZOOL412 Neurobiology and Behaviour is a paper that gets students to investigate fictional alien animals on a distant planet, teaching them how to research and use data to inform scientific discoveries ✨ Read more about this incredible paper here ⬇️

PhD student Tiffany Ilott from Christchurch Ōtautahi’s Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine has been awarded a prestigious US$10,000 Zonta Women in STEM Award for her research into endometrial cancer 🔬💫 Read more about this award-winning research here ⬇️ www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroo...

Research close to the heart 🫀🔬 Otago heart researchers, led by Christchurch Heart Institute Director Professor Mark Richards, have been granted vital funding from the Health Research Council (HRC) to develop potentially life-saving patient interventions. Read more here ⬇️

OPINION: The release of the Window on Disability report by Te Tāhū Hauora, the Health Quality and Safety Commission, should be a watershed moment for health care in Aotearoa New Zealand Read more here ⬇️

What makes the Billie McLeod Trust so special? 💫 This new Trust has been established for Otago's School of Physiotherapy to support student and staff wellbeing, high-quality education and improved outcomes for New Zealand communities 📚 Read more about the Trust here ⬇️

Dr Rob Munn from Otago Neuroscience delivers study hacks 🤯🧠

Students, staff and members of the local Tongan community gathered last month for a special public lecture from Reverend Dr Paula Onoafe Latu, ordained minister of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga and Principal of Sia’atoutai Theological College ⛪️✨🎶 Read more about this lecture here ⬇

Just below street level at the southeast corner of Otago's Geology Building sits one of New Zealand's best-preserved WW2 air raid shelters 🚨 Less than two per cent of these shelters remain intact and accessible, making this a rare piece of history 💎 Read more here ⬇️

Otago's Sustainability Office is excited to be launching a new podcast, Spilling the Tī 🎙️ Hosted by Kaiwhakahaere Kaupapa Ben Sommerville and Tumuaki Head of Sustainability Ray O’Brien, the podcast celebrates staff and students working on initiatives inspired by Ti Kōuka ✨ Read more here ⬇️

Nothing can sink this Otago student's passion for surveying ⚓️🛥️✨ Meet the 2026 recipient of the Discovery Marine (DML) scholarship, Grace Cinque. Her passion is hydrographic surveying on boats, used for mapping rivers, lakes, seabeds and shorelines 🌊 Read more about Grace's work here ⬇️

The University of Otago and the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) have signed a Statement of Intent, creating a framework for future collaborations aiming to share expertise, resources, technology and teaching programmes 🤝✨ Read more about this work here ⬇️

We're often told not to go to the supermarket on an empty stomach 🍎 Findings from an Otago study potentially explain this theory, revealing that the way we think about food changes if we are hungry or full 🤔 Read more ⬇️

Ngā Kōrero Pono (The True and Honest Stories) is an Otago research project in which whānau share their cancer journeys on camera. It's been awarded the inaugural Hei Āhuru Mōwai Whānau Voice Award for best presentation at the World Indigenous Cancer Conference ✨🎥 Read more here ⬇

More than 20 Otago staff and alumni are being celebrated in this year's King's Birthday Honours 👑✨ From health, sport, medicine, business, community service and the arts, our Otago recipients are having an impact across Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond 🌟 Read here ⬇️ www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroo...

This Otago research team is helping farmers grow smarter, not harder 💪🥔 Not only does this research support the future of sustainable farming, but it will also help to grow stronger and more resilient crops 🧑‍🌾 Read more about this research here ⬇️ www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroo...

Researchers are urging more investment in kaupapa Māori-led eating disorder services, with new findings showing Māori expertise is still underused in policy and treatment 🍽️ Read more ⬇️

Otago researchers in Christchurch are calling for improved long-term psychological support for major trauma survivors, after new studies revealed many patients across Aotearoa are struggling to access appropriate follow-up care 🧠🩺 Read more ⬇️

From rare to research to results🔬✨ Meet the Research Alliance for Rare Illness Translation Pathways (RARITY), a group seeking to connect research with real-world applications for the rare disease community 💪🧠 Read more about this important research here ⬇️

OPINION: As New Zealand enters the colder months of the year, more than a million Kiwis have begun receiving their government-funded top-ups to help pay the power bill. Read more ⬇️

A new Otago study links chronic illness with substantial health challenges, limited access to support and long-term economic hardship in Aotearoa New Zealand 📚 Read more about this study here ⬇

What's sharp toothed, eight-metres long and 34-million-years old? 🐳 It's the enormous whale fossil currently on a 14,500km journey to the Smithsonian Institution in Los Angeles to be reunited with its missing jaw and skull fragment 🦴 Read the full story here ⬇️

New Otago research has uncovered another clue to potentially identifying Alzheimer's disease early 🤔 Read more ⬇️

This Professor has won an out-of-this-world award 🏅✨ Professor Craig Rodger, from the Department of Physics, has won the International Union of Radio Science’s (URSI) Karl Rawer Gold Medal for his work in space weather and near-Earth plasma physics 🪐🔭 Read more about Craig's amazing work here ⬇️

OPINION: Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions worldwide, has a long preclinical stage. It potentially begins decades before clinical symptoms become apparent. Read more ⬇️

OPINION: The latest case of a Canadian passenger testing positive shows the hantavirus outbreak isn’t over yet. We can probably expect more cases, given the long incubation period of this infection.

The University of Otago HIV Epidemiology Group recently released its latest figures, showing 80 people were first diagnosed with HIV in New Zealand in 2025. Read more ⬇️

Studying, parenting, working full-time - and graduating with a second Master's ✨📚 James Heimuli already holds a Master of Public Health (Hons) and on Saturday graduated with a Master of Business Administration 🎓 Read more ⬇️

Recent graduate Dr Navdeep Kaur never imagined she would leave India to study overseas - now she's graduated with a PhD in Psychology 🎓 Navdeep says meeting her supervisor, Professor Jamin Halberstadt, felt like meeting the mentor figure she grew up waching on screen ❤️ Read more here ⬇