Marine Science

Project

This project will involve fieldwork and experiments investigating the effect of sediment resuspension on the carbon storage potential.

Skills gained

You will learn combined ecological and biogeochemical approaches for a holistic understanding of seafloor disturbance effects.

Requirements

The project will be based at the Leigh Marine Laboratory, and you will be part of the seafloor ecology research group. No specific prior experience is required. The ideal candidate will be someone who enjoys working in a team and outdoors but can also work independently.

Project

Underwater forests are extremely productive coastal habitats that may be an important source of blue carbon. However, assessments of underwater forest productivity often neglect potentially important contributors to reef productivity, such as locally prevalent and endemic fucoids and foliose seaweeds.

The role

This study will investigate the production and stability of carbon produced by coastal seaweeds and assess their contribution to overall reef productivity and carbon sequestration.

This project may use laboratory experiments and photorespirometry methods to directly measure carbon production by seaweeds, and use laboratory and in situ experiments to assess growth and degradation rates.

Ideal student

This project will be based at the Leigh Marine Laboratory. It will involve the collection of seaweeds and potentially the deployment of in situ experiments so will suit someone with good practical skills in both the field and laboratory. The chosen student will also have the opportunity to help on numerous ongoing studies related to rocky-reef productivity and restoration.

Project

Keen to gain some hands-on research experience and contribute to real-world environmental/marine science, while learning about plankton and open source technology?

The role

We are looking for a summer student to help process plankton samples from the Kaipara Moana. This work is part of a larger project exploring the plankton community composition of the Kaipara Harbour and how that relates to water quality. All the samples have already been collected in the field but need to be further processed. This includes some lab work using the Planktoscope (https://www.planktoscope.org/, an open-source low cost imaging instrument), ID'ing using the AI-assisted Ecotaxa online application and running some pre-written Python code.

Skills gained

We will guide you through the steps and teach you all the required skills, apart from curiosity, attention to detail, and enthusiasm for plankton.

Project

This project explores how climate change influences biogeochemical processes in coastal sediments, with a focus on benthic ecosystem responses.

The role

Using a combination of lab and field-based methods, we aim to uncover key drivers of change in sediment metabolism and nutrient cycling. The research will contribute to improved predictions of coastal ecosystem function under future climate conditions.

Requirements

Participants must hold a valid driver’s licence and be available to travel to Leigh for experimental work as part of the project.

Project

Identifying suitable prey and prey densities for larval octopus have been of high interest over the past decade. However, one aspect that has been overlooked so far is how long digestion takes and thus what the optimal feeding frequency would be.

The role
The aim of this project is to determine digestion durations for octopus larvae, which can be used as proxy to inform feeding frequencies and thus increase the overall larval culture conditions.

Project

Conventional sea urchin management methods—such as harvesting and culling—are diver-intensive and not always practical. We're seeking a motivated student to test the feasibility of using passive sea urchin traps to remove urchins from barren areas.

The role

This project involves designing and testing traps in coastal environments.

Ideal student

Experience with boats and confidence in the water (snorkelling/freediving) would be ideal. A great opportunity for hands-on marine research contributing to reef restoration efforts.

Project

This project will assess how environmental stressors (e.g., temperature, salinity) may affect the behaviour, growth and survival of the green-lipped mussel, Perna canaliculus.

The role

The student will be based in the Cawthron Aquaculture Park (Cawthron Joint Graduate School), where experimental work will be carried out.

Requirements

The candidate will need a good understanding of ecophysiology, shellfish physiology and aquaculture. Excellent practical laboratory and communication skills are required. The student must be able to work independently and as part of a team.

Project

Intertidal macrofauna play a key role in shaping sediment dynamics and ecosystem functioning. Organisms such as worms, anemones, and shrimp leave distinctive surface features visible during low tide. These features can be used as ecological indicators of species presence, activity, and spatial distribution, providing important insights for benthic habitat assessment and long-term environmental monitoring.

The role

This project aims to explore how image-based methods can be used to systematically document and map these surface features across intertidal zones via low-tide imagery.

While the technical development of automated detection models will be led by a computer science student or research team member, the marine science student’s role will focus on ecological reasoning, accurate annotation, and evaluating the biological relevance of detected features.

Student Tasks

• Join a field trip to Leigh to collect imagery using standard survey techniques
• Assist with ecological annotation of sediment features (training and tools provided)
• Work with the team to interpret ecological patterns emerging from image analysis
• Contribute to a visual and written summary of key findings

Ideal student

We are seeking a student with a strong interest in marine ecology or environmental monitoring, attention to detail, and curiosity about how new technologies can support ecological research. No coding experience is required. Basic familiarity with fieldwork or species identification is helpful, but full guidance will be provided.