Tian Tian

Tian Tian is originally from Kunming City, Yunnan Province, China – a region she claims has perfect weather and the most diverse ethnic minority cultures in China. She is an off-campus student and spends most of her time at the Plant and Food Research Institute in Nelson where she is working towards her latest PhD with the University of Auckland. Her research is focused on monitoring marine biofouling using machine learning and DNA metabarcoding. She will graduate in 2026.

Please tell us about your academic background and what led you here.

I have a multidisciplinary academic background, including Marine Sciences (PhD), Ecological Applications (MSc), and Molecular Biology (BSc).

What is your research/thesis topic?

The Temporal and Spatial Community Composition of Biofouling on Marine Structures Using Metabarcoding and Machine Learning (Biological Sciences).

Can you share any accomplishments or milestones you’ve achieved?

We have finished developing and validating the ML models for biofouling occlusion estimation and visible species identification with 92% accuracy. We have completed the metabarcoding and data analyses for the eukaryotic (18S) and diatom (rbcL) communities. Strong seasonal and spatial patterns were found for both communities.

What has your experience been like so far as a postgraduate student?

My overall experience has been awesome. I like the comprehensiveness of my PhD, involving fieldwork, lab work, and computing work. These bring me a lot of different experiences and research skills. I also love being part of a research institute and working with different people, which is valuable for my professional career development. In addition, I’ve made many friends and travelled to many places in New Zealand; these are the happiest experiences in my life.

What’s been the most rewarding or challenging part of your programme?

The most rewarding part of my PhD is that we developed efficient and complementary tools with lower costs for biofouling community monitoring, which is practical and valuable for marine industries and healthy aquatic ecosystem maintenance. Also, we found substantial differences in seasonal patterns, with heavier and faster biofouling accumulations in winter but less and slower in summer, which was out of our expectations and exciting.

What are your goals after completing your postgraduate degree?

I would love to try different types of jobs to determine future career interests. It could be a post-doc research position, a university research assistant, or a related industry or conservation job. I’d like to work in a field relevant to my current research interests, such as marine biology, ecology, and technology development and application.

What advice would you give to someone considering postgraduate study?

Choose a subject you’re passionate about and clarify your goals. Plan your time reasonably for research and study, and maintain good health. Utilise available resources and seek support when needed. Postgraduate study is a significant commitment, but it’s a rewarding journey with clear objectives.

Finally, tell us something about yourself that we can’t learn by Googling you.

I am an outdoor activity lover, with many exciting experiences in tramping, mountain biking and aquacise. I have explored most of the places of the north part of the South Island with my friends and we are planning to explore more in the future.