At Massey we have a reputation for excellence in our doctoral programmes. Our PhD and professional doctorate students are high achievers and many of them earn awards and other recognition for their research.
Dean’s list of exceptional theses
The Dean’s list is for theses that show outstanding research, analytical content, communication and presentation. Candidates who make the Dean’s list are considered among the best in their fields.
2025
2025
Charlotte Cantley
Mikaela Carter
Anjuli Clare
Stella Corkery
Carsten James Grimm
Zené Krige
Daniel Luff
Ludwig Petters
Ngawiki-Aroha Koaio Ataahua Rewita
Hanna Svensson
Evan Armando Valdes
Summer Wright
Tommy Sunpana Yotes
2024
2024
Mohammad Barzegartabrizi
Emily Claire Fisher
Achinthya Halnetti Perera
Hannah Rose Hawley
Rachael Kaulamatoa
Matthew Joseph Kean
Yujun Ma
Winston Mason
Fabio Leonardo Meza Joya
Vani Narayanan
Rebekah Orr
Baden Parr
Suvra Roy
Johanna Thomas-Maude
2023
2023
Gabrielle Deborah Amodeo
Judith Beyer
Akshay Bisht
Ellie Lynn Bradley
Samantha Jayne Brydon
Thao Thi Phuong Bui
Rupsa Chakraborty
Bruce Mark Chilton
Jacques de Satgé
Alexandra Egan
Christine Elers
Darya Fedchuk
Mercedes Rocafort Ferrer
Fraser Findlay
Lesley Ann Gray
Sesimani Havea
Corrin Hulls
Sidra Hussain
Jayawardana Mudiyanselage Dinesha Rajinee Jayawardana
Kylie Ann Legg
Junyan Liu
Tessa Ma'Auga
Jayne Mary Mercier
Johanna Mechen
Deidre McDonald
Ami Moller
Huidan Niu
Muhammad Hammad Saleem
Mariana Massoco Tarallo
Madaleine Heulwen Trigg
Hien Thi Dieu Troung
Robin van der Sanden
Melissa Stephen
Vajisha Udayangi Wanniarachchi
Achini Shanika Weerasinghe
Agampodi Nuwan Rumesh Weerawansha
Alvaro Sebastian Wehrle Martinez
Benjamin Patrick Westberry
Mengxiao Yang
2022
2022
Investigations into the impact of feed form and age on the standardised ileal amino acid digestibility of feed ingredients for broiler chickens
He kÄkano nÅ te taunuke o te hue
The defect modes of MoSâ‚‚: indirect double resonance Raman spectroscopy in transition metal dichalcogenides
Using market research methodologies to advance public engagement with emerging climate technologies
Physico-chemical properties and stability of lipid droplet-stabilised emulsions
Metabolic characteristics and genomic epidemiology of Escherichia coli serogroup O145
The shape of penguins in four dimensions: assessing macroevolutionary shifts in a constructional morphology framework
Exploring the data needs and sources for severe weather impact forecasts and warnings
Graph learning and its applications
Yiying Huang
Doctor of Philosophy
The sport formation and toxin production in biofilms of Bacillus cereus
Imran Ishrat
Doctor of Philosophy
Effect of Industry Changes on Quality and Sustainability in the Luxury Apparel Value Chains: The Case of Cashmere Industry in India
Effect of Kiwifruit actinidin on the digestion of gluten proteins
Eloise Jillings
Doctor of Philosophy
Rapua te mea ngaro: exploring the access of Maori to veterinary education in Aotearoa New Zealand
The genetic characterisation of coat colour and patterning traits in cattle
Multigenerational caregiving for older people in Bali : combining macro and micro perspectives to understand ageing, family, and caregiving
Michael McVeagh
Doctor of Philosophy
Efficient Markov bases for Z-polytope sampling
Do older consumers purchase differently?: the effect of age on brand awareness, consideration, and purchase
Kevin Miles
Doctor of Philosophy
Along the waterline: cameraless photography and the haptic register of nocturnal seaborne activity
Miniatures of reality : an inter-photo-textual investigation of ekphrasis of photographs
Jabin Nesaraj
Doctor of Philosophy
Understanding the population genetic structure of bovine mastitis-causing Staphylococcus aureus in New Zealand to identify potential vaccine candidates using reverse vaccinology
Development of a molecular toolbox for multifunctional lanthanide-based supramolecular materials
Structure-rheology relationships of protein-polysaccharide complexes at oil/water interfaces
MÄ te whiritahi, ka whakatutuki ai ngÄ pÅ«manawa Ä tÄngata = Together weaving the realisation of potential : exploring the social, cultural and health benefits of whÄnau-centred initiatives
Quantifying the performance of silvopastoralism for landslide erosion and sediment control in New Zealand’s hill country
The role of Fourier-transform mid-infrared spectroscopy in improving the prediction of new and existing traits in New Zealand dairy cattle
Marketa Vlkova
Doctor of Philosophy
Natural variation in bacterial gene regulation
Better lives for all?: prospects for empowerment through marine wildlife tourism in Gansbaai, South Africa
Towards exact numerical solutions of quantum many-body problems in ultracold Bose gases
The everyday conduct of inter-ethnic marriages in Indonesia: participants navigating points of tension and cultivating harmony through adaptive socio-cultural practices
2021
2021
Guanyu Ran
Doctor of Philosophy (Social Policy)
Family finds a way: experiences of multigenerational transnational new Chines immigrant families in New Zealand
Caroline Day
Doctor of Philosophy (Public Health)
Negotiating grandmothering, paid employment and regular childcare in urban Aotearoa New Zealand
Akinson Tumbure
Doctor of Philosophy (Soil Science)
The development and assessment of alternative techniques to improve the agronomic value of Dorowa phosphate rock (Zimbabwe)
Thi Thu Ha Nguyen
Doctor of Philosophy
Essays on dynamics of the housing market
Christopher Andrews
Doctor of Philosophy
Stress and reproduction in domestic cats (Felis catus) as a model for endangered felids
Malin Undin
Doctor of Philosophy
Studies of how to improve translocation outcomes of Apteryx mantelli focusing on breeding, hybrids, diversity, and telomeres
Anthony Mattson
Doctor of Philosophy
Be(com)ing men in another place: the migrant men of Gandhi Nivas and their violent stories
Branka Vasilic
Doctor of Philosophy
Supporting interprofessional collaborative practice through relational orientation
Laura David
Doctor of Philosophy
Studies on the measurement of calcium digestibility in raw materials for poultry and of digestible calcium requirement of broiler starters
2020
2020
Mahina-A-Rangi Baker
Doctor of Philosophy
Te kete tua-Ätea, MÄori modelling of the future and the kaitiakitanga of water
Mudassar Hasan
Doctor of Philosophy
Essays on spillover effects of economic and geopolitical uncertainty
Kevin Lawrence
Doctor of Philosophy (Veterinary Clinical Sciences)
The epidemiology of Theileria orientalis Ikeda type in New Zealand
Fiona McKergow
Doctor of Philosophy (History)
Colonial textile culture in mid-nineteenth century Aotearoa New Zealand
Emma Miller
Doctor of Clinical Psychology
An internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy for clinical perfectionism
Muhammad Naeem
Doctor of Philosophy
Essays on commodity market uncertainties
Khanh Nguyen
Doctor of Philosophy
Representation of autism in Vietnamese online news media between 2006 and 2016
Thi Phuoc Van Nguyen
Doctor of Philosophy
The investigation of non-contact vital signs detection microwave theoretical model and smart sensing systems
Christian Offen
Doctor of Philosophy (Mathematics)
Analysis of Hamiltonian boundary value problems and symplectic integration
Callum Rees
Doctor of Philosophy (Earth Sciences)
The hydrogeology of the Pourewa sub-catchment, Rangitikei, New Zealand
Alexander Schnack
Doctor of Philosophy
Is it worthwhile going immersive? Evaluating the performance of virtual simulated stores for shopper research
Marion Lara Tan
Doctor of Philosophy
Usability of disaster apps: Understanding the perspectives of the public as end-users
Heather Thomas
Doctor of Education (Education)
Pedagogies of presence: Contemplative education across the disciplines in Aotearoa New Zealand
Danchen Yang
Doctor of Philosophy
Epidemiological studies of bovine digital dermatitis in pasture-based dairy system in New Zealand
Syeda Kanwal Zaidi
Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering)
Effective relaying mechanisms in future device to device communication
Hooman Alavizadeh
Doctor of Philosophy
Effective security analysis for combinations of MTD techniques on cloud computing
Susan Bisschoff
Doctor of Philosophy
Dynamic assessment as an early screening tool for identifying New Zealand children at risk of reading difficulty upon school entryâ€
Nikolai Kondratev
Doctor of Philosophy
Identification of mechanisms defining resistance and susceptibility of Camellia plants to necrotrophic petal blight disease
Istvan Hajdu
Doctor of Philosophy (Agriculture and Horticulture)
Soil water modelling in hill country, New Zealand
Ashleigh Rushton
Doctor of Philosophy
But what about the men?: storying rural men’s experiences and perspectives of the 2016 Kaikoura/Waiau Earthquake, Aotearoa New Zealand
Lynsey Ellis
Doctor of Philosophy (Social Work)
Sustainable social work: a response to the climate emergency from social work education and practice in Aotearoa, New Zealand
Jess Richards
Doctor of Philosophy (Fine Arts)
Illusions, transformations, and iterations: storytelling as fiction, image, artefact
Gabriele Frigerio Porta
Doctor of Philosophy (Statistics)
Statistical models for multihazards
Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition
In the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, doctoral candidates develop their presentation and communication skills by explaining their research in three minutes to a non-specialist audience.
Developed by The University of Queensland, the competition was first held in 2008, and now more than 900 universities in over 85 countries participate.
2024
2024
Winner
Johanna Thomas-Maude (Institute of Development Studies)
Runner up
Dhanesha Nanayakkara (School of Agriculture and Environment)
People's Choice
Sheba Culas (School of Food Technology and Natural Sciences)
2023
2023
Winner
Indika Serasinghe Mudiyanselage (School of Food and Advanced Technology)
Runner up
Catherine Maidment (Riddet Institute)
People's Choice
Chanthujan Chandrakumar (School of Psychology)
2022
2022
Winner
Areef Shaik (College of Creative Arts)
Runner up
Manomita Das (Joint Centre of Disaster Research)
People's Choice Award
Haroon Jamshaid Qazi (SFAT)
2021
2021
2021 winner
Roxanne Hawi
From gimmick to game-changer: a study on the use of smartphones to expand access to higher education in sub-Saharan Africa
2021 runner-up
Morgan Heslop
Development of behavioural methods for the identification of boredom in animals
2021 people's choice
Huidan Niu
The professional role of teacher unions in NZ
2020
2020
2020 winner and people’s choice
School of Food and Advanced Technology
2020 runner-up
School of Management
2020 judges’ commendation
School of Nursing
2020 judges’ commendation
‘Porn literacy’ as pedagogy?
School of Psychology