Research opportunities for clinicians
Would you like to build skills and knowledge for the next step in your career? Keen to bring about meaningful change in clinical practice?
Research skills are valuable no matter where you are in your career, or what your future plans are. Many of our clinical graduates go on to combine clinical work with research, and if that’s what you’re interested in doing, we can help you get there.
If you’re a doctor, nurse, midwife, dietitian, or anyone with a clinical background, we can help you to get research experience in several different fields, including:
- Obstetrics
- Paediatrics
- Child development
- Clinical endocrinology
- Neurology
- Radiology
- Immunology
- Nutrition and dietetics
- Psychology
- Physiotherapy
- Developmental therapy
If you decide to join us, you'll work alongside clinically trained world class researchers and with other clinician research trainees in the exciting and supportive environment of the Liggins Institute. Scholarships are available for masters and doctoral projects.
What research could I get involved in?
Take a look at some of the research groups you could work with below:
Join us
Join us in our mission to understand the determinants of a healthy life from before conception, through pregnancy and at every stage of the lifespan, then work to apply that knowledge through New Zealand’s health system to make a real difference.
Email us at ligginsstudentenquiries@auckland.ac.nz to find out more.
Ayamita Paul’s story
Ayamita Paul has brought her understanding of human nutrition and her passion for public health to her research at the Liggins Institute, where she is studying the characteristics of regulatory T cells in human breast milk.
Prior to studying at Liggins, Ayamita was working as a dietitian in a hospital and as a nutritionist for a non-profit organisation focused on meeting the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. It was important work but “I knew it was not for me,” she says. “I really wanted to work with baby and child health.”
“They help you grow as a researcher,” she says of Liggins staff and fellow students. “The learning curve has been big but I’m grateful for the opportunity. It gives me motivation to grow more and be better.”
Dr Phyllis Ohene-Agyei’s story
Dr Phyllis Ohene-Agyei is a medical doctor and global health researcher with experience in clinical practice, project management, and global health research. She completed her medical degree (MBChB) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and has a double master's degree in public health from the UK and France.
Phyllis is currently undertaking a PhD at the Liggins Institute investigating gestational diabetes management and its long-term effects on maternal health. She is passionate about addressing health inequalities and improving maternal and child health outcomes globally.