Kia ora koutou,

This month, I was privileged to be appointed to the Prime Minister’s Science and Technology Advisory Council. The Council will provide advice on long-term funding priorities and help identify areas of focus that will have the greatest benefit for New Zealanders and our economy. I'm looking forward to contributing to the future of New Zealand’s science, technology and innovation sector.

Our Postgraduate Webinar series continues - it's been wonderful to connect with potential students from around the world and talk about our available projects. It has also been great to showcase our new Postgraduate Certificate in Bioengineering, which provides students with the relevant disciplinary training and experience to advance to a PhD in Bioengineering. If you or someone you know is interested in studying with us, join our next webinar on 5 June!

There's a lot of great news to read about below - I hope you enjoy this newsletter and your weekend.

Ngā mihi,
Director Merryn Tawhai

An incurable side effect of cancer treatment

You may survive breast cancer treatment only to face lymphoedema, a lifelong condition. Research underway at the ABI aims to predict who may be at risk of developing it.

Dr Hayley Reynolds (pictured above) and Catherine Davies from the ABI joined Nine to Noon this week to raise awareness for lymphedema - you can listen at the link below. Hayley also wrote this great piece on Newsroom about her research.

Celebrating our latest graduates

Congratulations to our latest graduates! Graduation is the culmination of years of dedication, resilience, and growth. We delight in celebrating this milestone with our former students and their supervisory teams.

Read about one of our new graduates, Moritz Messerschmidt, who is collaborating internationally to bring touch to the virtual world.

Alumnus funds ABI research

Peter Gibson, an alumnus of the University of Auckland (pictured middle above), is generously supporting two world-first projects at the ABI.

The one million-dollar donation will help fund the Virtual Pregnancy Project and the 12 Labours project, which are both advancing the development of new digital technologies in medicine, are both highly ambitious and world-leading.

Join our postgraduate info webinar

Have you considered your options for postgraduate study? Start a PhD or Masters in Bioengineering - find out more at this special webinar.

A career in bioengineering can be very rewarding. Want to work at one of the world’s leading medtech companies, or launch your own? Want to cure life-threatening diseases, create cool tech, or save the planet? Bioengineering is your ticket to having a real impact on your future world.

Help us make a difference

The ABI is completely self-funded, so we rely on our generous donors to fund students and our world-class research. There are many ways you can make a difference and support our work - you can make a donation or bequest, or simply follow us on social media. 

If you would like to become an ABI supporter, make a donation or bequest today.