Scholarships
Supporting future leaders in Antarctic research
Antarctica New Zealand works with a number of generous sponsors to award scholarships to postgraduate research students. These scholarships provide a means for new talent to enter New Zealand’s Antarctic research community. The scholarships are awarded annually, and include a stipend and logistics support to conduct or participate in research in Antarctica. The awards are competitive and attract students of a very high calibre.
Antarctica and the Southern Ocean - valued, protected, understood
Antarctica New Zealand recognises the value of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean as a unique environment for scientific research. We are committed to supporting the next generation of Antarctic scientists to make valuable contributions to the international knowledge base and understanding of Antarctic and global ecosystems and processes.
The Postgraduate Research Scholarship Programme is designed to support talented researchers to get off to the best possible start in their research careers, focussing on Antarctic and Southern Ocean systems. Antarctica New Zealand is generously supported in this scholarship programme by Ella Yelich-O’Connor and New Zealand Post.
Antarctica New Zealand Postgraduate Scholarships
Applications for the 2027 scholarships will open in the new year.
Ella Yelich-O’Connor Antarctic Doctoral Scholarship
Ella Yelich-O’Connor (Lorde) spent just over a week at Scott Base in 2019; visiting scientists in the field, learning more about Antarctica’s role in the global earth system and the impact climate change is having on the frozen continent. Following her trip, she has created a memoir and photo-book filled with photos and essays called ‘Going South’. Proceeds from the sale of the book fund the Ella Yelich-O’Connor Antarctic Doctoral Scholarship. The scholarship supports research that advances understanding, and promotes protection of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. In her own words, ‘this harsh environment feels eternal, but is dangerously vulnerable’.
- For doctoral research
- Stipend of $20,000 per annum over two years (total of $40,000); and
- Logistics support for one season of fieldwork in Antarctica (subject to programme availability, fieldwork must be aligned with an existing Antarctic field event)
New Zealand Post Antarctic Scholarship
New Zealand's presence in Antarctica is important to our nation and New Zealand Post has a long association with the continent – ever since Sir Edmund Hillary was postmaster at Scott Base in 1957. Supporting up-and-coming New Zealand scientists through this scholarship is a key way that New Zealand Post continues its close association with the white continent.
- For master’s or doctoral research
- Stipend of $10,000 over one year; and
- Logistics support for one season in Antarctica (subject to programme availability, fieldwork must be aligned with an existing Antarctic field event)
Important information on how to apply
Frequently Asked Questions
2026 Scholars
Emilija Reuter - Ella Yelich-O’Connor Antarctic Doctoral Scholarship
University of Canterbury
Abundance and distribution of Antarctic krill predators: Insights for conservation measures and fisheries management
As predators, marine mammals and seabirds play a key role in maintaining a functional ecosystem in the Southern Ocean. Because of this, their populations are often used to gauge the health of the ecosystem as a whole.
Data on their populations are vital for governing bodies such as CCAMLR (the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources), which uses the best available science to set catch limits and consider conservation proposals such as marine protected areas.
For her PhD at the University of Canterbury, Emilija is using three complementary methodologies to gather more information on populations of Adélie penguins, emperor penguins and crabeater seals across the Eastern Antarctic pack ice. She is estimating population sizes and identifying drivers of those populations, such as resource availability and pressure from commercial fishing activity.
Emilija will use this information to discuss how well-situated the currently proposed East Antarctic MPA is. That is, which key habitats are included, and how to best monitor the predator populations within its area? She aims to prepare a paper with her findings for direct submission to CCAMLR.
The scholarship contributes $20,000 towards her studies.
"I believe science is at its best when it is fit-for-purpose and delivered to the people who can use it to inform positive change. I’m so grateful for this scholarship as it will help me complete my studies and also get my work into the hands of decision-makers."
Cullen Mackay - New Zealand Post Antarctic Scholarship
University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka
Discriminating sources of iron to assess future trajectories of the Ross Sea ecosystem
A hot topic of conversation for ocean researchers is the future of phytoplankton—a foundational species in the marine food web—in a warming world. But temperature might not be the biggest influencer of these microscopic powerhouses.
Primary production in the Southern Ocean is often limited by the availability of iron (Fe), which is an essential micronutrient for growth. While a small amount of warming has a proportional effect on phytoplankton growth, a similar increase in iron availability can result in a biomass boom.
For his Master of Science, Cullen is identifying isotopic signatures, so we can tell if iron in the water column has originated from deep seawater, sea ice or glacial ice. He’s then going to use these to quantify sea ice and glacial contributions to dissolved iron in coastal water samples, and assess how this might change as a warming climate increases Antarctic ice melt.
The scholarship contributes $10,000 towards his studies.
"I'm incredibly grateful to have received this scholarship. This support gives me the opportunity to trace the journey of iron through the Ross Sea and explore how its sources shift as the Antarctic environment changes."