Kia ora , and welcome to the latest edition of Doctoral News.

We have two exciting opportunities to share with you today. The first is the sought-after Academic Career Advancement Programme (ACAP), an ideal launching pad for anyone who wants to work in academia.

The second is the annual SGS Research Showcase, which is a great way to meet people, get your research noticed, and grow its impact. 

Read on to learn more about these opportunities, as well as news, workshops, notices, scholarships, and resources for every stage of your doctoral journey. 

Ngā mihi nui,
Te Kura Akoranga Tohu Paerua | The School of Graduate Studies (SGS)

News

Congrats to our 3MT winners

A nail-biting University of Auckland Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Final took place in front of a packed auditorium at City Campus on Friday 17 July.

Always a highlight on the doctoral calendar, this high-energy event delivered heaps of inspiration and entertainment, with 500 enthusiastic audience members cheering for the 13 finalists as they presented their research in less than three minutes each.

Congratulations to Faith Culas (Faculty of Engineering and Design), centre, who took first place, Sachi Rathod (Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences), right, who was the runner-up, and Emma McGuigan (Faculty of Science), left, who won the People’s Choice Award.

Faith will be representing the University – and New Zealand – in international 3MT competitions later this year. Read more about the 3MT Final.

Opportunities

Want to be an academic?

Applications have opened for the University's 2027 Academic Career Advancement Programme (ACAP), held exclusively for doctoral candidates.

This sought-after annual programme gives you the chance to explore key aspects of academic life, build interdisciplinary relationships with academics, connect with likeminded candidates, and get a head start in the academic job market.

Applications close on Wednesday 30 September. Find out more about ACAP.

Research Showcase

Would you like to get your research noticed, broaden its impact, grow your research communication skills, and make new contacts? Then don't miss this opportunity to enter the 2026 Research Showcase, brought to you by the School of Graduate Studies.

No matter where you are in your doctoral journey, you're invited to submit an academic poster and/or research image for this annual competition, exhibition, and celebration of doctoral research, which takes place at City Campus from Tuesday 20 October to Thursday 22 October.

Entries close on Sunday 20 September. Learn more about the Research Showcase.

Top tip: If you're planning to enter a poster, we highly recommend attending the Visual Storytelling for Research Posters workshop with Prof Neal Curtis (Media and Communications) on Wednesday 5 August (City Campus), or the Introduction to Graphic Medicine workshop with Prof Curtis and special guest Assoc Prof Veronica Morreti, from the University of Bologna, on Monday 17 August (City Campus).

August highlights

Doctoral Morning Tea at Grafton

We're taking our popular Doctoral Morning Tea to Grafton Campus on Wednesday 12 August, with a special invitation to all candidates from FMHS and Liggins to join us. 

This is a valuable opportunity to connect with fellow doctoral students, share your experiences, expand your academic network, and enjoy some delicious kai.

Early booking is essential to secure your spot. Book here. 

What's on

Candidature essentials

25 August: Motivation and Procrastination, with Desiree Dickerson (Zoom)
Ongoing: English Language Learning Groups (City Campus)
Ongoing: Writing in English Workshops (City Campus)

Research environment

On-demand course: Academic and Research Integrity
On-demand: He Korowai Mātauranga

Research knowledge and skills

29 July: AI for Literature Reviews (Zoom)
30 July: Writing a Data Management Plan ​​​(Zoom)
30 July: Introduction to the Command Line: Unix Shell (Zoom)
14 August: Introduction to AI-Assisted Workflows for Unstructured Data (Zoom)
26 August: Responsible AI in Research (Zoom)
15 September: AI for Literature Reviews (Zoom)
15-16 September: Data Analysis and Visualisation in R (Zoom)
22-23 September: Programming with Python (Zoom)
24 September: Managing Research Data (Zoom)

Communication, influence and impact

30 July: Tips on Communicating your Research: Science Media Centre (Zoom)
4 August: Language Enrichment for Doctoral Candidates (City Campus)
4 August: Leadership in Uncertainty: Lessons on acting your way into courage (Zoom)
5 August: Visual Storytelling for Research Posters (City Campus)
6 August: Ngā Ara Whetū Pecha Kucha (City Campus)
10 August: NEW! Introduction to Research Impact (Zoom)
17 August: NEW! Planning for Research Impact (Zoom)
17 August: Introduction to Graphic Medicine (City Campus)
19 August: Abstract Writing (City Campus)
19 August: Designing Research Posters (Zoom)
7 September: Literature Review: Organising and Writing (City Campus)
23 September: Elevate Your Online Presentation Skills with Hugh Kearns (Zoom)
23 September: Presenting your Research (Grafton Campus)

Collaboration and leadership

6 August: Rainbow Orientation (City Campus)
12 August: Grafton Doctoral Morning Tea (Grafton Campus)
26 August: Doctoral Ideation and Collaboration Workshop: Developing an idea into a collaborative research proposal (City Campus)

Career development

28 July to 7 August: Job Search Bootcamp: various workshops (City Campus / Zoom)
2 September: How to Write a Narrative CV (Zoom)

Scholarships

Kyja jets off to NASA

Congratulations to doctoral candidate Kyja McCabe (Faculty of Engineering and Design), who is spending three months at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, on a New Zealand Space Scholarship, developing power systems for use on the lunar surface. Read more.

Travel award for PhD medical research

Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust PhD Research Travel Award: An Award to support a final year PhD student, who is a New Zealand Citizen or Permanent Resident, with the costs of travel for research in a medical-related field. Travel is to be undertaken in 2027. Closing date for applications: Thursday 27 August. Apply here. 

Applied Doctorate Scheme

If you have friends who are thinking of doing a doctorate, encourage them to apply to be part of the Applied Doctorate Scheme's second cohort at participating NZ universities.

Doctoral scholarships are available for 22 projects which are deeply embedded in real-world challenges and sector partnerships, under the theme of Aerospace, Defence & Security. They can explore the projects on offer and apply here. 

Note: currently enrolled doctoral candidates will not be eligible for these scholarships.

Notices

Get ready for the new GenAI Guidelines

The University's Generative AI in Doctoral Research Guidelines take effect on Tuesday 1 September. Prepare to Discuss-Document-Declare by exploring the following resources:

• Guidelines: Generative AI in Doctoral Research Guidelines
• Canvas module: AI Essentials
• Online workshop: AI for Literature Reviews (Wednesday 29 July)
• Online workshop: Responsible AI in Research (Wednesday 26 August)
• Resources: Introduction to GenAI in Doctoral Research 
  (discussion guides, example usage logs, declaration forms, and more)

Update your preferred email address

A reminder that all doctoral candidates were given a staff-type email address (firstname.lastname@auckland.ac.nz) on Wednesday 1 July. You would have received an email from IT about this, sent to your preferred email address.

Set up auto-forwards: As you now have both staff-type and student-type email addresses, be aware that some system-generated messages may automatically be sent to the account you use less often. To avoid missing important communications, set up an auto-forward from any address you don't access regularly to the one you prefer to use.

Choose your preferred address: We strongly encourage you to use your staff-type email as your primary/preferred address. Check and update this via Student Services Online.

Got questions? If you have any IT issues relating to your staff-type email address, you can raise a ticket via the Staff Service Centre on the Staff Intranet.

Call for abstracts on energy futures

The 2026 Energy Research Consortium Postgraduate Research Symposium invites doctoral candidates to share their research, ideas, and creative practices on energy futures, including its intersections with sustainability, technology, policy, economics, and society. Submit an abstract of up to 250 words by Monday 10 August. Read more.

People and planet, Pecha Kucha style

You're invited to come and listen to Ngā Ara Whetū affiliates present their work in Pecha Kucha style: 20-slide PowerPoint presentations, with each slide covered in 20 seconds. This is a fun, creative, fast-paced format for sharing ideas and networking, featuring topics focused on people and the planet. Thursday 6 August (City Campus). Book here.

Scene around at the 3MT Final

Photo credit: 3MT photos by Sav Schulman