Faculty of Science, University of Auckland

⛵ What colour is a healthy harbour?

🍫 After heavy rain, some New Zealand estuaries turn the colour of milk chocolate as sediment washes from the land into the sea. These 'coastal brownouts' can reduce biodiversity, alter marine ecosystems and create long-lasting environmental change.

Professor Simon Thrush, from our faculty's Institute of Marine Science, traces how Auckland's rapid urban growth at the turn of the century sparked decades of research into why these events occur and how they can be prevented.

A fascinating read on the connection between land use and coastal health.

Read more: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2026/07/31/planetary-solutions-coastal-brownouts.html

Ready to unlock the next chapter of your scientific journey?
The Faculty of Science warmly invites you to our upcoming Postgraduate Info Evening.
Whether you are looking to specialise in your field, upskill for your career, or contribute to groundbreaking research, this evening is designed to help you map out the next steps.

What to expect:
🗣️ Hear insights and advice from guest speakers and alumni
🎓 Connect directly with academic staff, programme advisers and current postgraduate students
📖 Explore application processes and scholarship opportunities
🧬 Learn what it’s like to study in various scientific disciplines

Tuesday 15 September 2026, 5pm
Building 302 Foyer, Science Centre (23 Symonds Street, Auckland)
Register now to secure your spot: https://postgrad-info-evening-2026.eventbrite.co.nz

♾️ What are 'forever chemicals' and why are they so difficult to regulate?

Faculty of Science experts Associate Professor Erin Leitao and Shailja Data are researching a vast family of persistent chemicals found in everyday products from cosmetics to textiles and cookware.

🧪 Their work is helping us better understand where these chemicals are found, how people are exposed to them, and the solutions that could reduce their environmental impact and support future regulation.

Read more: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2026/08/03/planetary-solutions-forever-chemicals.html

Take 10 Friday | Featuring Dr Emma Ryan

Today we're spotlighting Dr Emma Ryan from the School of Environment, whose research explores how coastlines and coral reefs respond to environmental change and sea-level rise.

1️⃣ Research in 10 words:
Quantifying impacts of sea-level rise on coasts and coral reefs.

2️⃣ In everyday terms:
I track how coasts and coral reefs have changed their form in response to past changes in the environment.

3️⃣ Day-to-day work:
Teaching, supervising postgraduate students, collecting samples in the field, writing research papers, working through datasets and writing research grant proposals.

4️⃣ Favourite part:
Fieldwork. I’ve been lucky to visit some incredible coastlines and coral reefs.

5️⃣ Surprising insight:
Coral reefs can flourish in the harshest of conditions.

6️⃣ Handling challenges:
Balancing research and parenthood has meant adapting how I do fieldwork.

7️⃣ Important realisation:
Researchers can learn so much from local communities – they are the people on these reefs or beaches every day.

8️⃣ Impact goal:
I hope my research inspires young women into coastal science and helps communities and local governments make informed choices.

9️⃣ Collaboration:
Coastal science is highly interdisciplinary. It's so interesting to learn from co-supervisors in Māori studies, Marine Science and the School of Environment.

🔟 Advice to younger self:
Don’t take on too many projects at once! It’s OK to say no to things to allow yourself time to focus on doing something else well.

Read more: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/science/our-research/take-10-with/take-10-with-environment/take-10-with-emma-ryan.html

Big congratulations from the Faculty of Science to the leaders and researchers behind our Faculty Research Centres. 🎉

Senate has confirmed that six centres will operate through to 2028 covering areas from synthetic biology and antimicrobial resistance to kaupapa Māori science.

They are:
Auckland SynBio Research Centre
Centre for AMR Research
Centre for Computational Evolution
Centre of Machine Learning for Social Good
George Mason Centre for the Natural Environment
Te Pūtahi o Pūtaiao, Centre for Kaupapa Māori Science

🔬The refreshed cohort highlights excellence in research, collaboration and leadership across some of the most important challenges facing our world. Find out more:
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2026/08/10/science-faculty-announces-six-research-centres-through-2028.html

20 Talks, 10 Bars, 1 Night! Join us for the 10th anniversary of Raising the Bar on Tuesday 25 August.

Hear fascinating talks from some of the University of Auckland’s sharpest minds and catch our faculty's own academics at bars across the city.

🌱 Planting our way to climate crisis mitigation by Professor Andrew Allan (School of Biological Sciences)

🪳 Grubs in the pubs: adding insects to the global menu by Dr Neil Birrell (School of Biological Sciences)

🚀 Windows into space: from the Big Bang to now by Professor Richard Easther (Department of Physics) 🎫FULL

🦜Restoring NZ’s native wildlife: 10 years of Predator Free 2050 by Professor James Russell (School of Biological Sciences) 🎫FULL

Talks always fill up fast - find out more and reserve your free spot now.
https://www.rtbevent.com/auckland-2026?utm_term=res,eve

What happens when academic curiosity, practical support and innovations align?

When Associate Professor Nick Rattenbury mentioned the Hyades star cluster during a lecture, physics student Ashin Alex quickly registered the domain name.

Just a few years later, that spark of curiosity has evolved into a thriving technology company. Led by Ashin alongside fellow University of Auckland alumni Sam Kurian and Jimin Seo, Hyades addresses a critical challenge in modern data analytics: turning complex datasets into spatial machine learning models.

Hyades has now secured $1.5 million in funding to advance its AI technology.

Read Hyades’ story here:
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2026/07/28/reaching-for-the-stars--alumni-secure--1-5m-for-startup.html

Ihaka Lecture Series 2026

Lecture 3: Spotting the Weird Ones by Professor Rob J Hyndman, Monash University, Australia

About the Lecture

Data analysis is about finding the stories hidden in the mass of information that make up a data set. Usually, researchers and analysts are interested in understanding the major patterns and the relationships that hold true for most of the data. But sometimes we need to look at the weird observations, the mavericks, and the ones that don’t follow the crowd. These observations are called "anomalies."

Many anomaly detection methods have been developed, but they are often based on ad hoc rules and hidden assumptions that can lead to misleading conclusions. Instead, Rob will describe a principled statistical approach to identifying anomalies in diverse data sets, from simple numerical data to complex high-dimensional data objects.

He will illustrate these ideas using the {weird} package for R across several practical data analysis problems, including spotting overpriced wines, identifying errors in the records of the Old Faithful Geyser, and uncovering forgotten epidemics in 19th-century France.

About Professor Rob J Hyndman

Rob J Hyndman FAA FASSA is a Professor of Statistics in the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics at Monash University, and an elected Fellow of both the Australian Academy of Science and the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. He is the author of over 200 research papers and 5 books in statistical science.

In 2007, he received the Moran medal from the Australian Academy of Science for his contributions to statistical research, especially in the area of statistical forecasting. In 2021, he received the Pitman medal from the Statistical Society of Australia. For 40 years, Rob has maintained an active consulting practice, assisting hundreds of companies and organisations around the world. He has won awards for his research, teaching, consulting and graduate supervision.

Find out more and register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/ihaka-lecture-series-2026-tickets-1991653429020

Ihaka Lecture Series 2026

Lecture 2: When Creativity Meets Code by Dr Nicola Rennie, Data visualisation specialist, Office for National Statistics

About the Lecture

While R is often viewed as a practical tool for analysis, reporting, and reproducible research, it can also serve as a space for creativity, encouraging experimentation, curiosity, and new ways of engaging with data.

In this talk, Nicola explores how using R as a creative outlet (whether through treating data visualisation as a design process, developing generative art systems, or simply building "useless" things) can deepen our understanding of everyday tools. By stepping outside standard workflows, she will uncover new ways of thinking about visualisation, design, and data storytelling.

Nicola will also reflect on how these creative practices translate back into day-to-day statistical work, helping practitioners build clearer, more engaging narratives and more thoughtful visualisations. The aim isn’t to turn everyone into an artist, but to show how a creative mindset can make us more effective communicators and more confident users of R.

About Dr Nicola Rennie

Nicola is a data visualisation specialist with a background in statistics and data science, who is interested in understanding how to effectively communicate complex quantitative ideas in an accessible way. She advocates for using open source tools, particularly R, Python, Quarto, and JavaScript.

Nicola has been using R for around 10 years, has developed multiple R packages, and is the author of 'The Art of Data Visualisation with ggplot2'. She co-authored the Royal Statistical Society’s Best Practices for Data Visualisation guidance and is a member of the Editorial Board of Significance magazine, particularly focused on data visualisation.

Find out more and register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/ihaka-lecture-series-2026-tickets-1991653429020

Freedom 250: Bringing Māori innovation to the world

Our Kaiārahi Tui Kaumoana joined emerging leaders from around the world in a programme linked to the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations.

Selected for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship cohort of the International Visitor Leadership Program, the Kaiārahi of the Faculty of Science took part in discussions on how innovation can better serve communities.
Tui says relationships built beyond the formal programme left the greatest impression on her.

“What gives me the most hope are the conversations that happen outside – over shared meals, on the way to the next meeting, in the moments when someone says, ‘We have exactly that same challenge at home.’”
Ka rawe, Tui!