Meet our students

I have always been fascinated by the natural world, by things that crawl, fly and walk, and how they interact with their environment. It is this curiosity and passion that has shaped my broad research interests in the field of ecology and encouraged my decision to continue into post-graduate studies in Biological Sciences at The University of Auckland.

I have recently completed an MSc in Biosecurity, studying the ecology and impact of an introduced parrot, the eastern rosella (Platycercus eximius), focusing specifically on competition with native species for cavity nest sites, the capacity for rosella to act as reservoirs of disease, and factors affecting rosella detection during surveys.

This research, along with post-graduate classes, has equipped me with a sound knowledge of ecological theory and a broad set of practical field skills. It has also provided the opportunity to refine my scientific writing skills, and share my research with the wider community through public talks. Together these skills are a strong foundation for my future research endeavours.

When I started out a Bachelor of Technology (Biotechnology) degree, I had no idea where it would take me. I knew I enjoyed science, biology in particular, and wanted to end up with a job that was engaging and stimulating. After a few years of course work and two summer studentships at the School of Biological Sciences, I realized that I enjoyed molecular biology and genetics and began to aspire to a career in research. I undertook my BTech Honours in the laboratory with a study that explored variability in phenotype within and among yeast species. This left me with an appreciation of how versatile and diverse micro-organisms are. Upon completing my degree, I forayed into plant genomics with a summer studentship at HortResearch (now Plant and Food Research). Plants were another model I really enjoyed working with and I relished all the genetics. The latter soon led me to a research technician’s post at the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. My project on the effect of specific pigmentation genes on mouse body weight has been both edifying and gratifying, with the work experience contributing greatly to my professional development. I now feel prepared to tackle a doctoral degree and hope to obtain a Ph.D. in Plant Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. I choose plant genetics not only because I find the work exciting but also because I think that it has a lot of scope for addressing some of the world’s many problems. Eventually, I hope to be in a position to conduct my own application-based research in the area of plant and microbial genetics; in the mean time, I am having lots of fun on the way!

When I first started at the University, it was so big, I felt like just another face in the crowd. It wasn’t until I became involved in the Tuākana Programme that I felt like I had somewhere to belong; I felt like there was a community, that I belonged to that community, and that that community had knowledge and support to offer. To me, this made the difference between quitting and the successful completion of my degree. Because of this support and achievement, I was then offered a University of Auckland Masters/Honours Scholarship and a Summer Internship, starting me on the path to post-graduate study. After finishing my Honours year, I starting working as a Research Technician, then quit to move to London, and spend two years travelling around Europe. Whilst there, I also worked at GlaxoSmithKline, in Regulatory Affairs. Eventually, I moved back to Auckland, to do a PhD in Molecular Biology. My earlier academic successes meant that I was able to achieve a Tuāpapa Putaiao Māori Fellowship from FRST, and The University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship. Throughout my PhD, I was involved with the Tuākana Programme; again, it was the community and sense of belonging that gave me the stability and support, either as a tuākana or as a teina, which I wanted and needed to succeed. I completed my PhD, and now work at The University of Auckland. The Tuākana Program at SBS is fantastic; if you are looking to succeed, I highly recommend you get involved.

While I was doing my Masters degree in Biochemistry back in Iran, I read a book entitled “Introduction to Protein Structure” by Carl Branden and John Tooze. The book was so intriguing that I decided to pursue a career in protein crystallography; three years later I started my PhD in the Structural Biology Laboratory at The University of Auckland. I have since become fascinated by proteins and the detail of their three-dimensional structures; you can “see” the protein and probe its function at the molecular and even the atomic level!

I have been working on the structural and functional characterization of proteins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB). In the Structural Biology Laboratory we use different biochemical and biophysical methods to determine the three-dimensional structures of proteins from Mtb so we can understand how these proteins function. We hope that our research will help in designing new therapeutics against TB which currently kills almost 2 million people each year worldwide.