The University of Waikato has a particularly strong reputation for our research program in lake and river ecology and restoration, taking advantage of our close proximity to the Rotorua Lakes District, the Waikato River, and peat lakes and wetlands within the Waikato Region. Other areas of research include estuarine and coastal marine biology, urban ecology, Antarctic terrestrial ecology, and agricultural sustainability and productivity.

Our location provides quick access to coastal marine research, and the University maintains a coastal marine field station in nearby Tauranga.  Our location also gives ready access to a broad range of terrestrial environments, including pastoral agriculture and lowland to montane forests.

You’ll gain knowledge of ecological and biological theory, and the practical skills for field identification, surveying, and experimentation with plants, animals and microbes across a broad range of ecosystems. You’ll gain understanding of the principles of biological classification and be able to name and classify common organisms found in New Zealand ecosystems.

Your skills will be gained through a combination of hands on laboratory experience, practical field courses, and teaching from leading ecologists and biologists.

Facilities

We have extensive laboratory facilities, including

• Ecology, physiology, microbial and molecular genetics laboratories
• Microscope facilities, including confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopes
• Waikato Stable Isotope Unit
• Waikato DNA Sequencing Facility
• Environmental Research Institute
• Thermophile Research Unit
• International Centre for Terrestrial Antarctic Research
• University of Waikato Herbarium
• A controlled environment glasshouse facility
• Field centres for freshwater and coastal marine science, including the Coastal Marine Field Station.