Meet two Otago kaimahi working at the forefront of rare genetic disease research: Professor Stephanie Hughes and Associate Professor Louise Bicknell 🧬🌟 A revolution in genetic sequencing technology is helping them bring answers to families facing ultra-rare disorders. Read more here⬇️

We're kicking off the second series of our alumni podcast iOU by catching up with Lynley Edmeades! 🎙️🎓   Lynley talks to us about the many hats she wears, her student days at Otago, and her new book 'Hiding Places'. Check it out 👉

Otago researchers, including students and alumni, left the recent international Adaptation Futures Conference feeling inspired💡✅ The climate change adaptation conference brought together nearly 2,000 practitioners to collaborate towards a more sustainable future. Read more here⬇️

Eight research Centres have secured funding in the latest University of Otago Research Centre funding round👏 Each will receive a total of $200,000 to boost research in health, climate, culture, and more. Read more about the winning Centres here⬇️

Today, 7 November, is Infant Protection Day 💜 Otago kaimahi Dr Lisa Kremer (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, and Waitaha) and Dr Amber Young (Taranaki Iwi), based in the School of Pharmacy, keep this kaupapa at the centre of their mahi year-round.   Read more about their research in pēpi protection 👇

Dr Zac McIvor has been awarded an Otago Research Grant to continue a community-based archaeological collaboration with mana whenua of Aotea Harbour, Waikato 👏 The project explores their archaeological past to inform the present and prepare for the future. Read more here ⬇️

Otago-led research has found that in the event of a trade-ending global catastrophe, Aotearoa is at risk of losing access to life-saving medicines due to reliance on imported ingredients – but researchers have suggested approaches that may mitigate this. Read more here ⬇️

Aotearoa’s progress in reducing smoking has slowed among Māori, Pacific and European rangatahi, and vaping could be the reason, an international research collaboration has found 🚭 Senior author Associate Professor Andrew Waa says urgent action is needed. Read more here ⬇️

An Otago-led study has found that young people with neurodevelopmental conditions face substantial and preventable health inequalities, highlighting the need for further research and improvements in diagnosis and care. Read more here ⬇️

Otago researchers are calling for dedicated government funding to support those affected by long Covid. “Covid-19 may no longer be considered a public health emergency, but long Covid presents an ongoing and complex challenge for those affected," lead author Dr Sarah Rhodes says. Read more here ⬇️

More teenagers are now smoking regularly than if pre-vaping smoking trends had continued, widening inequities for Māori and Pacific youth.

Associate Professor Gwynaeth McIntyre has been awarded a University of Otago Prestigious Writing Grant to reframe the narrative around Roman historian Suetonius, who she says is a much more reliable source than his "scandalous anecdotes" might suggest 🏛️🫢 Read more ⬇️

Men are dying too young, Otago researchers have found in a new report. A collaboration between Otago’s Centre for Men’s Health and the Movember Institute of Men’s Health, the report is the most comprehensive investigation into men's health in Aotearoa to date. Read more here ⬇️

Otago researchers are truly out-of-this-world 😎🪐 21 kaimahi have been awarded a total of almost $14.4 million in Te Apārangi Royal Society Marsden Grants, spanning projects from outer space to starfish! Read more about the talented awardees and their projects 👇

Otago's Pacific Thought Network recently hosted its annual public panel event, bringing scholars, students, and community together under the theme 'Reimagining Pacific Futures' 💛💙 Read more here ⬇️

Biomedical scientist Associate Professor Jaydee Cabral is a true problem solver in the 3D bioprinting space 🤔🔬 She enjoys the challenge of bringing experts together to address unmet needs in this impressive research area. Read more about her fascinating work 👇

6 Otago kairakahau have been awarded Royal Society Te Apārangi Fellowships, fetching up to $820,000 to support their research across a variety of fields 👏🥳   Find out about these extraordinary recipients and their mahi ⬇️

Associate Professor Andrew Reynolds has been awarded the Rowheath Trust Award and Carl Smith Medal, one of Otago's highest research honours. This acknowledges his globally-recognised contributions to investigating diet-related disease 🏅🍎🥦 Read more here ⬇️

Professor Philip Hill of the Otago Global Health Institute is working on an international research collaboration investigating whether those with asymptomatic tuberculosis are unknowingly spreading it. The study has been granted USD $19.5 million to address this gap in TB research. Read more here ⬇️

An Otago researcher is calling for drug policy reform in a new report, saying the findings highlight "a significant gap between what the community wants, and the actuality, in terms of funding a health-based approach to drugs." Read more here ⬇️

Should we consider young children when designing urban spaces and cities?🏙️🧑‍🧑‍🧒 Otago's School of Geography Associate Professor Christina Ergler is the lead author of a new report exploring how young children engage with urban environments. Read more about the report here⬇️

Otago recently hosted the inaugural Freshwater Forum, bringing together freshwater scientist and community stakeholders to address one of our most pressing environmental challenges.💧 The forum showcased a variety of research taking place at Otago. Read more here⬇️

Ngā mihi nui to the 5 academics who were honoured with 4 major awards at the Royal Society Te Apārangi Research Honours event in Ōtautahi last night 🎉 Read more about their impactful mahi, and their new achievements 🏆⬇️

A landmark Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka-led study has found the endangered hoiho 🐧 is made up of 3 subspecies, a finding that may help protect the species against fatal disease. “This is a turning point for hoiho conservation," says senior author Professor Jemma Geoghegan. Read more here ⬇️

Thomas Pirker is the first New Zealander to win the highly prestigious Ralph Reader Prize in the Basic Science category at the recent Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand conference! Read more about his remarkable mahi on the suPAR blood protein and its actions on the heart 🫀👇

The Otago MBA case team put their top-ranked business skills to use and took the top prize at the 2025 New Zealand MBA Case Competition! 🥇👏 Read more about the team's big win 👇

Wāhine Māori excellence🖤🤍❤️ Dr Megan Leask from the Department of Physiology and Katrina Pōtiki Bryant from the School of Physiotherapy were both awarded this year's Māori Early Career Award for Distinction in Research🥳 Read more about their work here⬇️

In an international research collaboration, Otago researchers have helped to trace the history of the bowerbird in Aotearoa, enabled by the discovery of a tiny fossilised bone millions of years old 🦜🌳 Read more here ⬇️

New Zealand’s ancient bowerbird was smaller and more slender than the species living in Australia and New Guinea today. 👉 Read the full story: theconversation.com/a-tiny-...

OPINION: Mega-strike: where is the ‘ethical line’ in public health and are doctors really crossing it? ⬇️

International and local experts will soon convene in Pōneke for the International Conference on Urban Health, co-hosted by the University of Otago. The conference seeks to address the most pressing challenges in urban health, from climate change to sustainable transport 🌆🌳 Read more here ⬇️

For PhD candidate - and now published author - John Prins, parenthood inspired art 📘🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒🩵 His short story collection, Pastoral Care, centres on family relationships in modern-day Aotearoa. It was recently published by Otago University Press ✨ Read more here ⬇️

New Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka research argues that Aotearoa's parks and reserves need to better represent Māori histories and values. “Strong connections to land are vital to Māori well-being and worth defending," says Dr Robin Quigg of the Department of Public Health. Read more here ⬇️

In another first for Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, we recently hosted the inaugural NZ Effective Altruism summit at our Faculty of Medicine – Christchurch 🧐💭 Attendees discussed topics from global health to AI safety - and even the welfare of chickens ⬇️

Otago researchers have developed algorithms to improve location tracking on smartwatches, finding a location can be pinpointed within centimetres 🤯 “This is just the beginning of what wearable high-precision positioning can potentially achieve." Read more here ⬇️

Aotearoa's longest-running arts and literary journal, Landfall Tauraka, is celebrating its 250th edition in style, with a symposium, a Library exhibition, and a bumper issue marking the occasion 📝✨ Find out more about the celebrations 🎉⬇️

The exceptional mahi of our kairakahau has been internationally celebrated, with 161 Otago academics being named on the list of The World's Top 2% Scientists 🌏👩‍🔬 Ngā mihi nui to our truly extraordinary kaimahi. Read more here ⬇️

The ASPIRE Aotearoa Research Centre has been commended for its top-notch mahi, recently winning the Otago Research Group Award 🎉🌟 The award recognises their academic output, as well as the social benefits of their work, which is used to inform policy around nicotine harms reduction. Read more ⬇️

A new agreement is paving more pathways for Fijian tauira to study at Otago 🇫🇯✈️ The recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between the University and Fiji's Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Services directly supports Fijian students in a variety of academic programmes. Read more here 👇

People in Ōtepoti/Duendin! @universityofotago.bsky.social is again offering a workshop for midwives to learn early pregnancy ultrasound. This is targeted at remote rural midwives who are in areas with limited USS access. 1/

A huge congratulations to Dr Joon Kim, Dr Zihan Liu, Dr Graham McCulloch, and Dr Xun Xiao, who have been acknowledged with University of Otago Early Career Awards 🌏🌟 Read more about their mahi 👇

A big congratulations to Rachel O'Neill and Jeremy Beck - our Arts Fellows for 2026!👏 Rachel will take up the Robert Burns Fellowship and Jeremy will take up the Caroline Plummer Fellowship in Community Dance. Read more about their stories here⬇️

Law alumna Caccia Armstrong is Oxford-bound thanks to the mentorship of Faculty of Law kaimahi and a well-deserved Ethel Benjamin Scholarship 💪⚖️✨ “I’m so grateful for my time at Otago ... I wouldn’t be where I am without the support of the Law Faculty,” she says. Read Caccia's story 👇

OPINION: NZ’s economy isn’t as bad as the ‘merchants of misery’ claim ⬇️

OPINION: More veg, less meat: the latest global update on a diet that’s good for people and the planet 🌏🥦 👉 theconversation.com/more-veg-les...

OPINION: A seismic step towards managing earthquake-prone buildings ⬇️

Proud Ngā Puhi descendant and Otago alumna, Alice Eruera, is conducting research at Harvard Medical School in the US!👏 Her research looks into electron tomography and ways in which she can flatten the learning curve for the average biologist. Read more here⬇️

Otago Uni and Port Moresby General Hospital are stronger together when it comes to pain management 💪💢 Dr Jerin Mathew from our Department of Anatomy recently led a Pain and Clinical Anatomy Workshop at the hospital in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Read more about the collaboration 👇

Ngā mihi nui to Associate Professors Melissa McLeod (Ngāi Tahu) and Antonie Alm, who have had their outstanding teaching abilities recognised with Te Whatu Kairangi Aotearoa Tertiary Educator Awards! 🏆 Read more about these deserving recipients 👇✨

OPINION: Why investment in clean indoor air is vital preparation for the pandemics and climate emergencies to come ⬇️