UoA Engineering Postgraduate Students Association

Best Thesis winners announced
Warm congratulations to the recipients of the Vice-Chancellor's Prize for Best Doctoral Thesis 2025, who will be honoured at the University's Celebrating Research Excellence awards in October:

• Cam Hoffbeck (Faculty of Science)
• Connor Pearson (Faculty of Engineering and Design)
• Julia Musgrave (Auckland Bioengineering Institute)
• Mark de Hora (Liggins Institute)
• Matthew Galloway (Faculty of Arts and Education)

This prize is awarded annually to the five most exceptional theses from the previous year. Criteria for nomination include the demonstrable significance, originality, contribution and excellence of the thesis.

Of the 498 doctoral degrees awarded by the University of Auckland in 2025, 18 were nominated for the Best Doctoral Thesis prize by their faculties / LSRIs and reviewed by the Graduate Research Committee judging panel.

This is Luis Medrano Gomez's graduation profile, a recent PhD graduate from the School of Architecture and Planning

The long goodbye: PhD honours sister’s 14-year battle with cancer – University of Auckland A pandemic, border closures and profound personal loss marked Luis Medrano Gomez’s road to a PhD - but this week, he made it.

Engineering & Design Graduation Reception on 4 May 2026 - PhD graduating cohort, Mark Jones, ADPGR, and Omar Fahmy, Doctoral coordinator for the faculty.

PhD Pizza Networking End of Year Event - 2025
The PhD Representatives organised the End-of-Year Pizza Networking Event for the Engineering and Design Faculty, bringing all PhD students together at the ELAM Design Hall (Building 432.232, 20 Whitaker Place) on Tuesday, 25 November 2025.
Doctoral Coordinator Omar Fahmy set one simple rule for the day: connect with students from other departments. The response was outstanding, with over 200 students registered.
A wide selection of halal meat, chicken, cheese, and vegetarian pizzas was provided, along with ice cream cones, games, quizzes, and plenty of prizes. The hall was decorated by volunteers and featured music and a photo backdrop to enhance the atmosphere.
Mark Jones, ADPGR, welcomed attendees and stayed on to chat with students throughout the event. Thanks to the efforts of the PhD Representatives, everyone enjoyed a relaxed, social, and engaging celebration to end the year. This event was made possible thanks to the support of the Academic Services Manager, Larissa Isted, whose assistance was instrumental in bringing everything together.

Welcome to the new PhD students to the Faculty of Engineering & Design - Orientation 26 Aug 2025.

https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2025/08/11/turning-the-tide-on-shellfish-farming-in-new-zealand.html

Turning the tide on shellfish farming in New Zealand - The University of Auckland A marine energy researcher is building a tide-powered shellfish nursery to boost survival rates for baby mussels, an innovation that could transform the way New Zealand farms its oceans.

Join for an exclusive evening with Aurélien Géron and Jon Krohn, two globally renowned AI experts, bestselling authors, and popular YouTube educators!
Kick off with a Live In-Person Podcast, followed by a hands-on Agentic AI Programming Workshop.
Free food & refreshments provided!
Registration link: https://forms.gle/4TR3G8ny4YvEpYw37

PhD Students, This workshop is looking to practice facing interviews and also to polish up your CV.

Watch a scary movie, have some snack and enjoy your time with your friends. Don't forget to dress up if you like! Use the QR code to get your free ticket.

3MT Finalists from Engineering and Design, Himashi and Mohamed.

You can read about them by clicking on these links:

Himashi Rathnayake - https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/postgraduate-students/doctoral/doctoral-opportunities/3mt/himashi-rathnayake.html
Mohamed Salman - https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/postgraduate-students/doctoral/doctoral-opportunities/3mt/mohamed-salman.html

Please come along to support them at the 3MT Finals 😊

Date: Friday 8 August
time: 5pm to 7pm
venue: Fisher and Paykel Auditorium, OGGB

Book at https://uoa-3mt-finals.eventbrite.co.nz