About our Biological Sciences research

Our research in Biological Sciences spans all scales of life from whole organisms and their habitats down to the atoms that make up molecules.

Our staff and students study the largest mammals to the smallest insect, and the terrestrial, aquatic and urban environments that they inhabit. At the molecular scale, we probe the origins and molecular basis of all life on Earth (and in the universe), the application of molecular science to the biggest agricultural and environmental concerns, and the design of new molecules and strategies to understand and treat human disease.

Research in our School is organized in three broad and overlapping areas, Biomedical and Human Biology (BHB), Cellular, Molecular and Physiology Biology (CMP), and Ecological and Evolutionary Biology (EEB). These areas take advantage of enabling platforms in Genomics, Mass Spectrometry, Molecular Imaging, and Cytometry.

Our impact is enhanced through strong relationships with Crown Research Institutes through our Joint Graduate Schools in Biodiversity and Biosecurity (Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research), Coastal and Marine Science (National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research) and Plant and Food Science (Plant & Food Research).