New fully funded PhD project available in 2017 – see overview of projects and general details here.
The project is funded by MBIE and is part of a larger umbrella project on ‘Overcoming dispersal and recruitment constraints on native freshwater biodiversity’. This component of the project is to understand swimming capabilities of NZ native fish. The project will involve flume-based high resolution visualisation to monitor fish behaviour. Sensory manipulation studies will be used to investigate if the fish lateral line system can be used to predict fish responses to hydrodynamic stimuli. Study outcomes will be used to inform design criteria for water velocity and fish passage solutions. The project will involve detailed laboratory studies at the Newmarket Campus of the University of Auckland, as well as field investigations in the Auckland and Waikato regions. Study outcomes will be communicated to the New Zealand Fish Passage Advisory Group.
For this project, besides having an engineering-related background, having a strong interest in biology and sensory systems is of preference.
The project will be supervised by Dr Heide Friedrich (UoA), Prof John Montgomery (UoA), Dr Cindy Baker (NIWA) and Dr Paul Franklin (NIWA). The student will be expected to interact with other members of the wider team and contribute to programme workshops.
For more information, please email h.friedrich@auckland.ac.nz.
