Postdoctoral Fellowships

Students and postdocs taking part in our two-day Future Leaders Programme

Our Postdoctoral Fellowships allow early career scientists to focus on developing their research with the support and collaboration of some of the top researchers in New Zealand.

Postdoctoral Fellowships are in place across our partner institutes and our Fellows are encouraged and financially supported to take advantage of the many opportunities we provide to broaden their experience and skills. Activities on offer include:

• Annual multi-day workshops on specialist topics such as communication, commercialisation and leadership
• Intensive annual multi-day bootcamps (held in remote and beautiful locations) where experts share their knowledge in an important current research area
• Public engagement events, working with school teachers or children
• Membership of the MacDiarmid Emerging Scientists Association (MESA), run by students and postdocs, which organises additional activities.

MacDiarmid Institute-Funded postdoctoral proposals

The MacDiarmid Institute invites proposals for new Post-Doctoral Fellowship research projects which will contribute to and align with the Institute’s strategic plans and research programmes. The candidate will work under the supervision of a MacDiarmid Institute Investigator. Several positions are expected to be awarded in this round of funding.

Candidates must be supervised by a MacDiarmid Institute team including at least one supervising Investigator who works at one of the MacDiarmid Institute partner organisations. The supervising Investigator must be a current MacDiarmid Institute Principal Investigator (PI) or Associate Investigator (AI). A postdoctoral fellowship creates immense scientific value when it brings together the deep expertise and skill set developed during a PhD, with a new topic, set of techniques, or application area. We are particularly interested in encouraging the fertilisation of these interdisciplinary or inter-expertise areas of collaboration, and therefore will require that the postdoctoral supervisor not be the PhD supervisor.

These fellowships are intended to support early career researchers and therefore candidates should be within two years of completing their PhD studies as of the 27 February 2026 to be considered eligible (any career breaks or part-time work due to family responsibilities will be taken into account to extend eligibility, and this extension should be confirmed prior to application, via email to rosie.wayte@vuw.ac.nz).

Funding will be awarded for a two year, 1.0 FTE fixed term, full-time position, with the employment contract held with one of the MacDiarmid Institute partner organisations. Applications that include co-funding from other funding sources will be considered favourably. Successful candidates will be placed on the postdoctoral fellow salary scale of the partner organisation, and also receive a $10,000 (NZD) grant, per annum, towards research expenses and travel.   

Successful candidates will be notified in late March, and will be expected to start by no later than 31 July 2026. 

Application Requirements

1. A completed application form, to be submitted online at the following link: https://vuw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8p2Se5PX8eeBmMC. As part of the application form, you will also need to provide:
   • A (maximum) three-page research proposal, in the template. An additional two pages are allowed for references. This should include a statement of the research question(s), methods, expected and potential outcomes, and a justification for why the candidate and the Investigators involved are the right people to conduct the research. While proposals that contribute in depth to one of our research programmes are welcomed, proposals that combine elements of expertise from across our research areas, and that identify promising new avenues for research, are strongly welcomed.
   • A (maximum) one-page summary of the benefits to the applicant and to the MacDiarmid Institute. This should include a statement about the applicant’s career goals, the relationship with the supervisory team, alignment with the MacDiarmid Institute’s research programmes, and broader strategic aspirations. It is also an opportunity for you to give extra information or examples to show how you might be able to support the MacDiarmid Institute’s strategic objectives beyond science, such as in outreach, industry engagement and commercialisation activities.
   • Applicant’s CV and publication list in standard NZ RS&T template (MBIE version).
   • The intended MacDiarmid Institute supervising Investigator’s CV in standard NZ RS&T template (MBIE version).
   • A statement of support from the intended MacDiarmid Institute supervising Investigator. This should further address the strategic fit of the research proposal to the MacDiarmid Institute’s research direction. It must also explicitly indicate that the MacDiarmid partner organisation will support the appointment of the applicant, if successful. It is the supervising Investigator’s responsibility to get appropriate assurance from the partner organisation.
2. Two letters of reference, to be sent by the referees directly to the MacDiarmid Institute Manager, Rosie Wayte.
   • Please note that your referees cannot be your intended supervising Investigator.
3. Interviews of short-listed candidates will be conducted by the appointment committee.

Selection criteria

A successful applicant for a Post-doctoral Fellowship will have:

• A PhD in a relevant subject area, completed within the previous two years (as calculated on the 27 February 2026, and allowing for any career interruptions).
• A proven research track record.
• Demonstrated experience in writing scientific articles.
• A proven track record of working collaboratively.
• Eligible candidates will have submitted their thesis prior to the 31 January 2026, and they will need to have completed their defence and any corrections prior to being awarded the fellowship. It is recommended that any candidates awaiting examination request that one of their referees comment on the feasibility of this being completed in time, as a fully completed thesis will need to be confirmed by the interview panel.

A successful research project must have:

• Research that aligns with at least one of the MacDiarmid Institute research programmes (Catalytic Architectures, Future Computing, Pūtaiao Māori and Reconfigurable Systems). The 2025-2028 research plan can be provided on request.
• A supervising investigator who was not the applicant’s PhD supervisor.

In addition, the selection panel will consider whether the applicant exhibits:

• Ability to work in an organised and structured manner without supervision.
• Willingness to participate in the MacDiarmid Institute’s outreach activities.
• Willingness to participate in the MacDiarmid Institute’s industry engagement and commercialisation activities.
• Drive, enthusiasm, integrity and openness.

Successful holders of the post-doctoral fellowship will be expected to support and implement the vision and mission of the MacDiarmid Institute.

Eligibility

Applicant must be or be able to be New Zealand-based, to work at one of the MacDiarmid Institute’s partner organisations, and be eligible to work legally in New Zealand. They do not have to be working at a New Zealand research institute at the time of application.

Process

Please submit the following documents online as part of the application form, by no later than 9am on Friday 27 February 2026:

1. Research proposal (using the template provided)
2. Summary statement
3. CV and publications list in the NZ RS&T template (MBIE version)
4. Supervising Investigator’s CV in the NZ RS&T template (MBIE version)
5. Supervising Investigator’s statement of support (using the template provided)

In addition, you will need to get your two referees to send to the MacDiarmid Institute Manager, Rosie Wayte, independently and also by the deadline of 9am on Friday 27 February 2026:

1. Letters of reference

All shortlisted applicants will be called to interview. It is expected that the interviews will take place in March 2026.

Page limits

All page limits are based on single spaced, Times New Roman or Arial, 12-point font with left and right margins of at least 2cm.

Please use the standard NZ RS&T CV template (MBIE version) for preparing your CV. This template is the one you should use whenever you are required to submit a CV as part of a research proposal to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). It allows you to maintain your own master CV, from which you can draw on when submitting a research proposal. You also need to submit your intended supervising Investigator’s CV. If they have ever submitted a New Zealand research grant application, then they should already have a CV in this format.

File formats

Files should be in either Microsoft Word or PDF format.

File naming conventions

Due to the number of applications that we expect to receive, we need to be able to clearly identify your documents in our filing system. To make sure that your documents are kept together please adhere to the naming conventions below.

File names must begin with your SURNAME, followed by an underscore, followed by your initials, followed by another underscore and then one of the following:

ResearchProposal
SummaryOfBenefits
ApplicantCVandPubs
SupervisorCV
StatementOfSupport

For example, Joseph M. Smith would submit five documents called:

SMITH_JM_ ResearchProposal
SMITH_JM_ SummaryOfBenefits
SMITH_JM_ ApplicantCVandPubs
SMITH_JM_ SupervisorCV
SMITH_JM_ StatementOfSupport

Contact

If you have any questions about the application process please contact the MacDiarmid Institute Manager, Rosie Wayte.

Externally funded postdoctoral positions

Research Fellow - The School of Chemical Science, The University of Auckland

We aim to recruit a highly motivated Research Fellow to develop novel catalysts for photothermal CO₂ reduction to C2+ hydrocarbons. This position is jointly funded by the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology (a New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence) and the Energy Education Trust of New Zealand (a New Zealand Charitable Trust).

This project seeks to develop supported metal nanoparticle catalysts capable of driving CO₂ hydrogenation to valuable hydrocarbons (ethylene and longer chain olefins or alkanes) under concentrated sunlight via light-driven Fischer-Tropsch processes. These catalysts will absorb strongly at UV-Vis-NIR wavelengths under concentrated sunlight, resulting in catalyst heating to several hundred degrees (i.e. into the temperature range where thermal Fischer-Tropsch reactions become possible). The project supports global decarbonization efforts and seek the valorize CO₂ as part of New Zealand’s emerging circular economy.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the screening of photothermal catalysts using DFT calculations, development of new photothermal catalytic materials, building new capability around testing of catalysts, testing catalyst performance, and writing manuscripts for publication.

The successful candidate will report to Principal Investigator, Associate Professor Geoffrey Waterhouse and Dr. Ziyun Wang. The successful candidate would be expected to start between Nov 1, 2022 and Feb 1, 2023, subject to meeting all visa requirements for working in New Zealand.

Eligibility

• PhD in chemistry, engineering, materials science
• A strong track record of high impact research in thermal/photothermal catalysis/photocatalysis, and ideally Fischer-Tropsch catalysis. This track record should be demonstrated, in the main, by high impact journal articles as the first or corresponding author.
• Candidates should have strong written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Expertise in the synthesis of catalysts/photocatalysts and the techniques relevant to catalyst or photocatalyst characterization, including SEM, TEM, HRTEM, XRD, XPS, and X-ray absorption techniques (XANES, EXAFS).
• Competence in the performance testing of thermal/photothermal catalysts and product characterization by GC/GC-MS and HPLC/HPLC-MS.
• Prior experience in performing DFT calculations would be an advantage.

How to apply

Applications should be submitted online here via the University of Auckland SmartRecruiters portal, before the closing date of Wednesday 31st August 2022. Please include your CV and cover letter outlining your suitability for this role.

More will be listed here as they become available.