Department of Psychology, University of Otago

13/10/2026

Kia ora koutou, the final Neuro@Noon seminar for the year is happening tomorrow lunchtime! 🍎

Associate Professor Jaydee Cabral will be sharing her research on the development of biomaterials for a range of healthcare needs. 👩‍🔬

Come along to hear about some fascinating research, meet like-minded people, and enjoy some free snacks. It's your last chance to join us before the programme takes a break for the year.

The talk will begin at 12pm, but feel free to arrive from 11.40am onwards for tea, cookies, and a chance to chat to your peers.

Read below for more info 👇

09/10/2026

Ka rawe tō mahi, Brydie! 🧠
PhD candidate Brydie is recruiting participants for an exciting new brain imaging study. See below to learn more about the study and how to get involved.

Treatment resistant anxiety may be unmasked by MRI scans

08/10/2026

How is trust in police shaped by relationships between communities and law enforcement? Dr Mariska Kappmeier, Department of Psychology researcher, led this international study exploring trust between police and ethnic groups in Aotearoa and the US. Read more below.

A new study led by an academic staff member from the University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka has analyzed trust between police and ethnic minorities in Aotearoa New Zealand and the United States, revealing meaningful similarities between Māori and Black Americans.

30/09/2026

Kia ora koutou! There are some exciting things happening in October!

Kicking things off this evening is a lecture exploring imagination and it's connections to will, empathy, and immersing ourselves in fiction. 🧠📚

Keep an eye on this page for more info about upcoming events! 😊

29/09/2026

Ka mau te wehi, Jim! A fantastic achievement and a wonderful recognition of your mahi and contributions in Alzheimer's research. ✨👏

“The courage to explore will carry you further than any single grade.”

Meet 20Twenties Young Alumni Award winner Jim Davies 🏅

Jim graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Neuroscience in 2022 and has recently completed his PhD at Otago, where he was crowned the 3MT (three-minute thesis competition) PhD winner.

His winning streak doesn’t stop there. Previously, he won the Otago Medical School Research Society award and oral presentation awards at both the Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research and the Kiwicam conference, as well as a national online symposium for early career neuroscience researchers.

Ka rawe tō mahi, Jim! We can’t wait to see where your courage and curiosity take you next 🤩

Read our kōrero with Jim here ⬇️
https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/having-courage-and-keeping-sight-of-the-person-behind-the-disease

29/09/2026

Our lecturers are making an impact! 🎉👏

Ka rawe Dr Hitaua Arahanga-Doyle and Dr Ana Stojanov, who have recently received the Māori Early Career Award for Distinction in Research and the Early Career Award for Distinction in Research, respectively.

Dr Hitaua Arahanga-Doyle’s research bridges contemporary social psychological theories of belonging and social identity with core Māori values, like whanaungatanga (kinship and relationship building).

Dr Ana Stojanov’s research explores a range of relevant issues in science communication, with a particular focus on misinformation, conspiracy beliefs, and human-AI interaction.

Congratulations to both Dr Arahanga-Doyle and Dr Stojanov on this well-deserved recognition. 😊

https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/otago-researchers-celebrated-for-advancing-knowledge-and-improving-lives

16/09/2026

Ka pai tō mahi Dr Bruce!

What if you could slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases like dementia with something as simple as a flu shot? 💉

With the help of a Neurological Foundation of New Zealand project grant of $299,321, Department of Neuroscience Senior Research Fellow Dr Bruce Mockett hopes to enable a protective protein to work its magic on brain health and slow the progression of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD).

“If the research is successful, it will bring hope to people that there is a new effective therapeutic for treating dementia. This could provide resilience against the progression of the disease,” Bruce says.

Ka pai tō mahi! ✨
Read more about this important research here ⬇️
https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/new-approach-in-dementia-treatment-gets-funding

16/09/2026

Kā rawe Dr Ashlee!
Ashlee is now recruiting for her next study - if you are interested in participating in this research please contact ashlee.berryman(at)otago.ac.nz

16/09/2026

Āe - that is a 3D brain printed by our tech's all the way over in Paris!

07/09/2026

The 23rd Annual Otago Peace Lecture is next week. This year it’s being given by the founder of Peace and Conflict studies, Prof. Kevin Clements. This lecture is brought to you by Campus Chaplins and the Dunedin Abrahamic Interfaith Group. For further information contact the Dunedin Abrahamic Interfaith Group (email on the flyer).

See www.dunedininterfaith.net.nz for all previous 22 Annual Peace Lectures