Massey University offers world-leading and unique programmes across our specialities. Our agriculture programme is no.1 in New Zealand according to global rankings and we offer the only veterinary programme in New Zealand ranked in the top 25 in the world.
Massey University demands excellence in our sciences-related research. The College of Sciences brings together experts from several disciplines to further knowledge and make a difference in New Zealand and the world.
Our programmes are ranked as some of the best in the world, and we are accredited by major industry bodies internationally. Below is a selection of accreditations for sciences at Massey.
Massey is ranked by QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) as one of the top 50 universities for agriculture. QS is an organisation that ranks universities worldwide in various topics.
The Bachelor of Engineering with Honours programme has provisional accreditation by Engineering NZ as a professional engineering degree under the Washington Accord. This allows our graduates to work internationally.
The Massey veterinary programme is ranked by QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) as 23rd in the world. QS is an organisation that ranks universities worldwide in various topics.
Massey is ranked in the world's top 200 universities for built environment in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings.
The Bachelor of Food Technology with Honours programme is approved by the US-based Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).
Massey University is an accredited veterinary college by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Accreditation is achieved through a review process conducted by an external review panel of practitioners and academics that verifies that the program meets the Requirements of an Accredited College of Veterinary Medicine.
Professor Geor is an internationally-recognised veterinary and agricultural science specialist, with expertise in equine medicine, nutrition and sport science. After spending nearly 30 years teaching and researching in America, he returned to New Zealand to take up the position of Pro Vice-Chancellor College of Sciences in 2015.
Professor Hall is the Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) for the College of Sciences. His expertise is in chemistry. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry he was a founding principal investigator in the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology.
Distinguished Professor Gaven Martin is the head of the New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study, the former president of the New Zealand Mathematical Society, and the editor-in-chief of the New Zealand Journal of Mathematics.
Professor Brunton is the head of the Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences.
Her research expertise is in social behaviour and the evolution and ecology of animal communication with her main research interest in the evolution of song.
Professor Demidenko's research areas of expertise are in electronic design and test, signal generation and processing and instrumentation and measurement.
The head of the Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Professor Hazelton is a professor of statistics. His research interests are in smoothing methods, biostatistics,spatial statistics and statistical modelling.
A professor of postharvest technology, Professor Heyes' research background is in cell physiology, with more recent research focusing on connecting science to growth of the horticulture sector based on novel, high-value niche products.
Professor Huxley joined Massey University in May 2018, from the University of Nottingham. His research expertise is in dairy cow health and endemic diseases of dairy cattle, particularly lameness and the impact of the housed environment on animal health and welfare.
Professor Kemp is head of the School of Agriculture and Environment, one of the largest departments in the College. His areas of expertise lie in evaluation of herb pastures and agroforestry.
I would not be able to do this without having a fundamental understanding of the ecological science behind conservation, acquired during my tertiary studies at Massey.
Ciaran Campbell - Freshwater Ranger – Department of Conservation
Bachelor of Science (Zoology)
Networks formed at Massey have endured throughout my career and opened doors that otherwise would have been locked.
Ben Dingle - Founder and CEO of Nuchev Proprietory Ltd
Bachelor of Agriculture (Agricultural Management)
During my second year, I came across the genetic counselling profession and knew straight away this was the career I wanted to pursue.
Kirsty Mann - Genetic counsellor - Royal Melbourne Hospital
Bachelor of Science (Biological Sciences)
I have always been passionate about numbers so choosing to study a BSc that was numbers-related was an easy decision for me.
Emily Hendy - Insights Analyst - Lotto NZ
Bachelor of Science (Statistics)
I found the food projects very rewarding. It was great to see the whole new product development process from market research to commercialization. It's pretty cool to hold something in your hand that you've invented ...
Camilla Riddiford - Operations Process Improvement Facilitator, Tip Top
Bachelor of Food Technology with Honours
Studying food technology not only increased my technical expertise in multiple fields, but it also prepared me for working in industry by developing my presentation, teamwork, project management skills and more.
Lachlan Kendrick - Specifications Technologist at Danone Nutricia - Early Life Nutrition
Bachelor of Food Technology with Honours
People have to eat so there will always be a need for food technologists. I have my own business making sports nutrition products, doing contract food technology work on the side. Massey’s programme completely set me up for this role.
Phil Dromgool - Managing Director, R-LINE Limited
Bachelor of Food Technology with Honours
My study experience has been fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed my undergraduate degree. In particular I liked that we were able to apply what we learnt in lectures to actual on-farm situations by having multiple field trips and talking to farmers.
Holly Phillips - Science Intern, DairyNZ and AgResearch
Bachelor of Science (Animal Science) (Agricultural Science)
I think my experiences at Massey really shaped me into the person I am today. It was hard work but exciting and so rewarding.
Emma Phillips - PhD student, Macquarie University (Australia)
Master of Science (Earth Science)
I chose to do the MSc in conservation biology as the papers appealed to me and I wanted to challenge myself by having a go at undertaking a long-term research project.
Karin Sievwright - Graduate ecological consultant, Boffa Miskell
Master of Science (Conservation Biology)
I really enjoyed my time at Massey. The lecturers were fantastic, the field trips were great fun and I've made lifelong friends.
Ngaire Larsen - Research Associate, Plant and Food Research
Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Ecology)
My supervisors taught me a great deal, not just science and lab skills, but also what it takes to be a good scientist. Without them I may not have stayed in science for as long as I have.
Yuliana Yosaatmadja - PhD student
Master of Science (Biochemistry)
The skills and scientific rigour I learned in my MSc have served me throughout my science career and in my current job.
Rebecca Ganley - Scientist, Research Leader - Pathology, Forest Protection at Scion Research
Master of Science (Genetics)
My BSc(Hons) in Biochemistry provided me with the motivation, confidence, knowledge and background understanding of mammalian biology to complete a PhD in cancer research.
Rebecca Smith - Post-doctoral scientist, Adolf Butenandt Institute of Physiological Chemistry at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany
Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Biochemistry)
I chose Massey, as I knew that it would take me further than just a degree.
Kim Green - PhD student
Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Genetics)
The academy, set up by Massey University with Te Puni Kōkiri and Our Land and Water National Science Challenge support, fosters young Maori school pupils from Year 11 on their journey through to university, and ultimately the workforce. The programme works to engage with teachers and whanau to support the students’ science study in the Manawatū and Bay of Plenty and to build a wider community of Pūhoro students who share their passion for science.
Some examples of the funding and recognition for College of Sciences staff and their work.
A project to undertake a nationwide case-control study of the disease leptospirosis was awarded $1,199,841 from the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) in 2018. Massey's Associate Professor Jackie Benschop is Principal Investigator on this multi-university project.
Associate Professor Jackie Benschop
Health Research Council of New Zealand
Associate Professor Georg Zellmer was awarded $832,000 from the Royal Society's Marsden Fund for the project 'Water in spinel: a robust hygrometer for the Earth and Planetary Sciences'.
Associate Professor Georg Zellmer
Royal Society Te Apārangi
Associate Professor Jens Dietrich received funding for his research into closing the gaps in Static Program Analysis. This project will look at new ways of detecting bugs and vulnerabilities in computer software that can be exploited for malicious activities.
Associate Professor Jens Dietrich
National Science Challenge Science for Technological Innovation
Associate Professor Jens Dietrich was awarded a US$44,000 grant by Oracle to find better ways of detecting bugs in the Java programming language.
Associate Professor Jens Dietrich
Oracle
Distinguished Professor Harjinder Singh was the the first New Zealander to receive the 2018 American Dairy Science Association Distinguished Service Award. The award recognises unusually outstanding and consistent contributions to the welfare of the dairy industry.
Distinguished Professor Harjinder Singh
American Dairy Science Association
Distinguished Professor Peter Schwerdtfeger and Dr Elke Pahl were awarded $910,000 from the Royal Society's of New Zealand's Marsden Fund to explore and extend the periodic table of elements towards the super-heavy region.
Distinguished Professor Peter Schwerdtfeger and Dr Elke Pahl
Royal Society Te Apārangi
Dr Andrew Moffatt was named the 2017 California Veterinary Medical Association Outstanding Vet of the Year during the association’s annual industry awards, beating almost 10,000 veterinarians. He is the youngest member to receive the award, which has never been awarded to a non-US citizen.
Dr Andrew Moffatt
California Veterinary Medical Association
Dr Carl Mesarich was awarded $300,000 from the Royal Society's Marsden Fund for the research project 'Making the switch: cell surface modifications that enable plant-pathogenic fungi to differentiate and maintain infection-related cellular morphotypes during host colonization'
Dr Carl Mesarich
Royal Society Te Apārangi
Dr Helen Fitzsimons was awarded $795,000 from the Royal Society's Marsden Fund for the project 'A new role for HDAC4 in neuronal morphogenesis and memory'.
Dr Helen Fitzsimons
Royal Society Te Apārangi
Dr Karen Stockin has been appointed the role of strandings coordinator within the recently-created Strandings Initiative at the International Whaling Commission.
Dr Karen Stockin
International Whaling Commission
Dr Karen Stockin was awarded the Bob Kerridge Animal Welfare Fellowship for investigating the human dynamic to stranding events.
Dr Karen Stockin
Bob Kerridge Animal Welfare Fellowship
Dr Luke Fullard was awarded $300,000 from the Royal Society's Marsden Fund for the research project 'Understanding friction in granular mixtures: an experimental and modelling study'.
Dr Luke Fullard
Royal Society Te Apārangi
Dr Olin Silander was awarded $895,000 from the Royal Society's Marsden Fund for the project 'Stuff Memories Are Made Of: How Bacteria Remember and Learn from Environmental Signals'.
Dr Olin Silander
Royal Society Te Apārangi
Drs Elke Pahl, Krista Steenbergen, Lukas Pasteka and Distinguished Professor Peter Schwerdtfeger have been selected fellows and join eight international scientists from Europe as fellows at the Centre for Advanced Study at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
Drs Elke Pahl, Krista Steenbergen, Lukas Pasteka and Distinguished Professor Peter Schwerdtfeger
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
From 2012-2014 Massey engineering students won the 'Engineers Without Borders' international competition. Teams from Massey regularly win the national competition.
Engineering students at Massey
Engineers Without Borders
The College of Sciences has developed close relationships with industry across our areas of expertise.
We work with our partners on industry-relevant research and professional development and match final year students in some areas with companies to work on real world projects. Talk to us to find out how you can work with the College.
Massey University’s Auckland campus is in Albany on the North Shore of Auckland. College of Sciences are based on the main campus in the Mathematical Sciences building, with food technology, engineering and much of natural sciences on the nearby Otehe Rohe campus.
Massey University’s Manawatū campus is in Palmerston North. The College of Sciences is based in the Science Towers off the central concourse, Aghort buildings, Riddet Complex and other buildings around campus.
