Tessera

PhD student Rene Zschoche is studying "phage cocktails," a mix of phages used to control bacteria that could offer potential alternatives to antibiotics for biocontrol. Little is known about how distantly-related phages interact with each other however, a problem Rene aims to solve: zurl.co/X87up

Friends or foes? PhD studies phage-phage interactions | Bioprotection Aotearoa

Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, are promising alternatives to antibiotics in a variety of fields including bioprotection. When these “phages” are used to control a pathogen, three or four might be mixed together in a cocktail in hopes of an additive, “the-more-the-deadlier” effect. However, little is...

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In our second Rangahau Rising webinar, Dr Elizabeth Elliot Noe (Lincoln University) joins us to talk about her Postdoctoral research on the value frameworks that influence debate on the future of Aotearoa NZ's dairy industry: 🗓️ Wednesday 15 April, 1:00 PM 📍 Online, Register via Zoom: zurl.co/BXflk

Canopy cover and habitat size - important factors for decreasing weed invasion in kānuka shrublands. In the final stages of her PhD, Friederike Espinoza (Lincoln University) is the lead author of a new paper with considerations for anyone involved in native shrubland restoration: zurl.co/lfNr6

Bacteriophages, methylation, tailocins...tune in hear Dr Nils Birkholz (University of Otago) share his research and novel discoveries in bacterial warfare on the recording of our first 2026 Rangahau Rising Webinar: zurl.co/JSGpo

Bacteria and Their Enemies: Insights from Studying Microscopic Warfare | Bioprotection Aotearoa

Bacterial pathogens infecting humans or plants have major impacts on health and agriculture, especially as the efficacy of traditional control methods such as antibiotics and agrichemicals is increasingly undermined by...

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A Summer of Discovery – Research Presentations from Our Summer Scholars of 2026! Hosted by Dr Sylvia Nissen from Lincoln University. Everyone is welcome. 📅 Date: Wednesday, 25 March 2026 ⏰ Time: 1:00 PM NZDT 📍 Where: Online, Register via Zoom zurl.co/gKBEm

Join us for the first Rangahau Rising of 2026 with Dr Nils Birkholz (University of Otago). Nils will talk about his research on the plant pathogen Pectobacterium, highlighting new solutions for targeting problematic bacterial pathogens. 📍 Online, Register via Zoom: zurl.co/FLQvS

The future of agriculture is not just about yield. It is also about resilience. PhD student Sam Mills (Lincoln University) is investigating what helps carbon remain stored in soils. This is the start of her PhD story on climate resilient agroecosystems: bioprotection.org.nz/research/imp...

Tiny (bio)discoveries can have BIG impacts. Enter Ashleigh Mosen, a PhD student at Massey University, researching solutions to apple scab fungus - solutions at the molecular level derived from host-pathogen protein interactions. bioprotection.org.nz/love-for-the...

Love for the tiny things key to solving the big problems  | Bioprotection Aotearoa

Ashleigh Mosen has a passion for the little things in life; whether they’re fungal pathogens, their effector proteins, or altering gene expression with RNAi gene silencing technology. Luckily for our ...

bioprotection.org.nz

In earlier times, who decided what counted as a pest? Dr Schloffel-Armstrong (Lincoln University) is digging into archival narratives from 1825 to 1925 on Horomaka Banks Peninsula to find out, and explore what those early decisions mean for bioprotection today: bioprotection.org.nz/tracing-narr...

Tracing narratives of pestiness and weediness into the past | Bioprotection Aotearoa

Throughout my life, I have always been interested in history. In my previous work researching public services in Aotearoa, I focused on interrogating the processes and practices that occurred in...

bioprotection.org.nz

Our February pānui is here! This newsletter, we spotlight forward-thinking bioprotection solutions. Read the full newsletter: mailchi.mp/lincoln.ac.n...

To what extent is communication integrated into Aotearoa New Zealand’s biosecurity system? Professor Amanda Black @whenua.bsky.social reflects on the biosecurity response to the yellow-legged hornet incursion: bioprotection.org.nz/the-arrival-...

The Arrival of the Yellow-legged Hornet – Why Incursion Communication Needs to Change | Bioprotection Aotearoa

Biological incursions are the gift that keeps on giving. One of the latest gifts is the yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina), discovered in Auckland in late October. This hornet is like...

bioprotection.org.nz

For Pacific researchers, the future of climate resilience is Pacific-led. Dr Suli Vunibola, Mesu Tora, and Patrick Fong react to COP30 in Belém, imagining a different future where "Pacific people, communities and ecological relationality sit at the heart of climate resilience." zurl.co/uZZ6L

Pacific voices on the future of climate resilience in the Pacific Nations. Reaction to COP30 in Belém: Whose narrative was the loudest? | Bioprotection Aotearoa

The recent COP30 summit delivered a stark warning to Pacific Island nations: global climate diplomacy is failing them. With over 1,600 fossil fuel lobbyists swarming the talks and outnumbering vulnerable...

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Join Alana Thurston next week for a PhD seminar on soil health and resilience to degradation in the agricultural landscape of Te Kaha. 📍 9 February, 12:00-1:00PM 📍 Waimarie, Room Inaka 📍 Lincoln University or online: zurl.co/ke9ZS

Boring or bonding? For Dr Hanareia Ehau-Taumaunu, conferences are more than just talks. They're opportunities to connect, with both people and place, that shape both science and the scientist. See her advice on making the most of conference season: zurl.co/ANsRX

More Than Just Talks | Bioprotection Aotearoa

I have been attending scientific conferences since I started my post-graduate degrees over a decade ago. For me, conferences are one of the highlights of being a researcher. They are...

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