Faculty of Science

I am interested in how information-rich computational systems can better support human discovery and learning, particularly through tools that enable more interpretable and collaborative forms of understanding and communication. Focus areas include:

• Intelligent systems for environmental and social challenges
• GIScience and spatial data science
• Representation across machine learning models, natural language, and domain-specific data
• Dynamic and automated scientific workflow systems
• Decentralized knowledge systems

I am an Assistant Lecturer at the School of Earth and Environment of the University of Canterbury. I teach remote sensing for Earth observation and geospatial analysis using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and multispectral optical imagery. My research involves radar signal processing for Earth observation and biological applications and radar instrumentation.

Dr. Dwain D. Allan is the founding director of Taiwhanga Whakahaere Hinengaro – The Mind Control Lab at the University of Canterbury and a leading expert on the psychology of success. His work focuses on how we can change, direct, and harness the power of the mind to unlock greater potential and achieve success in a world of accelerated flux. He is especially interested in the subjective aspects of the mind — and, more particularly, the profound but hidden influence they exert on objective reality. In addition to his core research programme, Dr. Allan is a recognised authority in the fields of human–AI interaction, social robotics, systems science, and the relationship between the mind and social technology products.

Beyond academia, Dr. Allan is a respected founder, board member, advisor, and go-to expert for success-motivated individuals. Clients include world-class founders, CEOs, executives, athletes, coaches, and thought leaders, whom he teaches how to use his models and methods. Unsurprisingly, therefore, Dr. Allan has a special interest in producing scholarly knowledge that is both theoretically important and practically useful.

His iwi affiliations include Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Raukawa, and Ngāti Whakaue.

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Research Topics:

➟ Success Psychology

➟ Mindsets and Self Beliefs

➟ Mental Performance and Psychological Thriving

➟ Mind and Behaviour Change

➟ Psychological Interventions

➟ Meaning and Mental Representation

➟ Placebos and Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

➟ Plasticity and Change

➟ Confidence and Self-Efficacy

➟ Psychological Construction and Perceptual Control 

➟ Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience of Feedback

➟ Drive and Motivation

➟ Peak Performance and Coaching Psychology

➟ Executive and Leadership Psychology

➟ Social Influence and Cyberpsychology

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UC Research Commitments:

➟ Societal Resilience

➟ Sustainable Futures

➟ Technology for Real-World Benefit

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Media Keywords:

➟ Psychology 

➟ Success 

➟ Beliefs 

➟ Mindsets

➟ Achievement 

➟ High-Performance

➟ Mental Performance

➟ Mental Wellbeing

➟ Winning

➟ Flourishing 

➟ Thriving

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📌  Dr. Allan is not currently considering PhD students. If you're interested in working with the lab, please complete the Lab Membership Form → HERE. 

My research is primarily interested in how proteins do their jobs, and the myriad of structural forms and interactions that affect their functioning. By using structure-function relationships as a scaffold, I am interested in how this function can be tuned to yield desirable functional features. This research involves studying both soluble and membrane proteins, with an emphasis on studying enzymes. Alongside the proteinaceous research, I am interested in fundamental aspects of mass spectrometry analyses of proteins, and developing supporting software, to uncover new and enabling methodologies.

The research combines structural biology, mass spectrometry, biochemistry, and synthetic biology to investigate the molecular mechanisms of proteins and enzymes, with applications ranging from bioplastic production to antimicrobial resistance and drug discovery. 

Applications of Social Ecological Systems theory and methods in the Disaster Risk Governance context. The active management of tensions endemic to cross-sector collaborations in disaster risk management, response and recovery contexts, with a special interest in the use of boundary organizations and collaborative governance to manage institutional misalignments between scientific and other domains. The use of collaborative governance arrangements to improve the research quality and relevance of national research funding programs, and - in response and recovery environments - to enhance cross-sector coordination and decrease ethical risks to impacted communities. Community resilience to natural hazards.

Sarah Christofferson, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and a Registered Clinical Psychologist. Her research interests include the therapeutic and systemic prevention of sexual abuse, assessment and treatment approaches for people who have sexually offended, strategies for measuring therapeutic change, and the valid integration of change into risk evaluations.

Tom was born in South Shields, in the North-East of England, in 1986.  He read the Natural Sciences Tripos at the University of Cambridge, specialising in Chemistry and gaining a 1st class MSci (Hons) in 2008. He then moved across to the Materials Science and Metallurgy Department, to study the physical properties of porous hybrid frameworks under Professor Anthony Cheetham FRS.

A  3 year Research Fellowship at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge followed, alongside lecturing some of the 1B Materials Chemistry course at the department. He started a Royal Society University Research Fellowship in 2016, along with a visiting adjunct professor position at The Wuhan University of Technology and a visiting scientist position at CSIRO Melbourne. The research group is best known for the discovery of hybrid melt-quenched glasses, and seminal works exploring the interface of the coordination polymer, MOF and glass domains. The group have considerable expertise in the characterisation of amorphous solids and liquids, and in creating new classes of functional material. For a taste of the research performed by the group, have a look at Tom’s plenary lecture at the International MOF Conference in 2022, available on youtube.

In his career to date, Tom has been fortunate enough to receive the EPSRC post-doctoral prize (2012), the Panalytical award for an outstanding contribution to X-ray diffraction (2013), the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Science Impact Award (2018), the Woldemar A. Weyl award for glass science (2019), the Philip Leverhulme Prize in Chemistry (2019), the Royal Society of Chemistry Harrison Meldola Memorial Prize (2020) and the Chemical Communications Lectureship (2021).

He has spent research stays in both the University of Kyoto (hosted by Prof. Susumu Kitagawa and Prof. Satoshi Horike), the University of Canterbury, New Zealand (hosted by Prof. Paul Kruger), and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (hosted by Prof. Dr. Lothar Wondraczek). He has served as both vice-Chair of the International Zeolite Association Commission on MOFs (2019 – 2022), and inaugural chair of the Royal Society of Chemistry Interest Group on Porous Materials (2019-2022). The committee were awarded the inspirational committee award by the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2021. This was for admitting over 300 members as the RSC’s newest interest group, and organisation of events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He was promoted to Professor in 2023, and joined the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, in 2024. In a related sentence, Tom loves photography, hiking and river crossings. In his spare time, he can often be found camping with his energetic dog, Albie, which is a Springer-Collie cross.

Kua tawhiti kē tō haerenga mai, kia kore e haere tonu

He nui rawa ō mahi kia kore e mahi tonu. 

You have come too far not to go further

You have done too much not to continue

Dr Megan Blakely is a researcher in the psychology of work, specialising in how people interact with complex sociotechnical systems. Her work integrates human factors, organisational psychology, and systems thinking to understand how technology, leadership, organisational design, and governance influence human behaviour, safety, wellbeing, and performance.

Her research investigates how work systems, organisational structures, leadership, and emerging technologies influence human behaviour, safety, wellbeing, and performance. Drawing on human factors, organisational psychology, systems thinking, artificial intelligence, governance, and behavioural science, she examines how the design of sociotechnical systems shapes both human capability and human vulnerability. Human factors recognises that people have both remarkable strengths and inherent cognitive, physical, and social limitations, and that failures are often consequences of system design rather than individual shortcomings.

A particular focus of her research is the psychosocial risks emerging from the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies. She examines how work design, cognitive workload, trust in automation, decision-making under pressure, role ambiguity, and organisational governance influence worker wellbeing and performance. Her work argues that AI should not simply automate tasks but should be designed to complement human strengths, accommodate human limitations, and create conditions in which people can perform safely, effectively, and sustainably. Rather than viewing human error as the primary problem, her research explores how poorly designed technologies, governance arrangements, and organisational systems can unintentionally set people up to fail, and how human-centred design can create more resilient, ethical, and productive workplaces.

A central theme throughout her work is understanding how work systems can be designed to support the wellbeing and performance of diverse workforces. Her research examines leadership, organisational culture, psychosocial wellbeing, diversity, equity and inclusion, neurodiversity, and evidence-based approaches to organisational change. She is particularly interested in how organisations can create environments where people with different backgrounds, identities, abilities, and ways of thinking are able to contribute and succeed. Within the New Zealand context, her work also considers the implications of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, bicultural practice, and culturally responsive approaches to organisational and technological design.

Alongside her academic research, Dr Blakely works with organisations to translate evidence into practice, supporting the design and implementation of human-centred systems, AI governance, organisational change, and workplace innovation. Her work bridges research and industry, helping organisations make better decisions about technology, people, and work through practical, ethical, and evidence-informed approaches.

Overall, her research seeks to understand and improve the relationship between people, technology, and organisations, delivering meaningful, practical, and sustainable impact for workers, organisations, and society.

I am a Lecturer in Active Tectonics and Geomorphology. My research focuses on understanding how tectonic deformation, surface processes and climate interact to drive mountain building and landscape evolution.

I specialise in trapped-charge thermochronometry, using luminescence (OSL and IRSL) and electron spin resonance (ESR) to investigate shallow, Quaternary-scale cooling and exhumation. I combine these approaches with geomorphology and numerical modelling to link fault activity and earthquake cycles with longer-term mountain building.

My research has focused on active orogenic systems including the Himalayas, and I am now developing this work in Aotearoa New Zealand, with a particular focus on the Southern Alps and Alpine Fault.

Professor Anne-Marie Brady FRSNZ is a specialist on the Chinese Communist Party (domestic politics and foreign policy), polar politics, Pacific politics, and New Zealand foreign policy. She is a fluent Mandarin Chinese speaker. She is founding and executive editor of The Polar Journal (Taylor and Francis Publishers). She has published ten books and over fifty sole-authored scholarly papers. She has written more than 60 opeds on her research for newspapers such as the New York Times, The Guardian, The Australian, Sydney Morning Herald, The Financial Times, The Diplomat. In addition to her duties at the University of Canterbury, Professor Brady holds a number of honorary roles. She was a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington DC from 2014 to 2025. In 2014 she was appointed to a two-year term on the World Economic Forum's Global Action Council on the Arctic. She is an advisor to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC). 

Professor Brady's books include Marketing Dictatorship: Propaganda and Thought Work in Contemporary China (Rowman and Littlefield, 2008), Looking North, Looking South: China, Taiwan and the South Pacific (World Scientific, 2010); China's Thought Management (Routledge, 2012), The Emerging Politics of Antarctica (Routledge, 2013), China as a Polar Great Power (Cambridge University Press and Wilson Press, 2017), and Small States and the Changing Global Order: New Zealand Faces the Future (Springer, 2019). Her 2017 conference paper 'Magic Weapons: China's foreign influence activities under Xi Jinping' helped to spark a global conversation on China's foreign interference and espionage activities, as well as legislative change. Professor Brady's groundbreaking, policy-relevant, research demonstrates the important role of the academic as "critic and conscience" in a modern democracy. 

My research focuses on the links between the Earth’s surface morphology and the physical processes that shape it. This relationship is two way, as topography exerts a primary control on the distribution and intensity of geophysical flows which in turn, shape our landscapes through erosion and sedimentation. I am fortunate to be working on this theme now as the geosciences undergo a technological revolution that is transforming the measurement of topography. This step-change is driven by the emergence of new Earth observation platforms and sensors, in particular airborne and terrestrial laser scanners and methods to model landforms in three dimensions from ground-based, aerial and satellite imagery. Datasets which capture the geometry of integrated landscapes, built upwards from their particle scale building blocks, are fast becoming a reality.

This data revolution has far reaching consequences, offering insights into the scaling of topography, non-invasive methods to quantify landscape form across multiple spatial scales and a framework to measure 3D change and sediment budgets robustly. Perhaps more fundamentally, these data offer new opportunities to develop novel tools to parameterize and test numerical models in order to better predict the dynamics of the key geophysical flows which both supply and threaten our growing populations.

My primary research area is Motivational Interviewing - its efficacy, practice, training and implementation. Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative conversation for strengthening a person's motivation for change or growth.

My other areas of research include culturally responsive practice and teaching; clinical supervision and competency assessment in clinical psychology; health behaviour and mental health.

Professor Ann Brower is a specialist in environmental science whose work examines how decisions, institutions, policies, and regulatory frameworks shape the stewardship of land, water, biodiversity, and natural resources. She is known for science-led legislative changes to the Building Act, the Resource Management Act, and the Crown Pastoral Land Act.  Her work has meaningful impact from city centres to the remotest high-country landscapes of Aotearoa.

Her research analyses how laws and policies influence land‑use outcomes, ecological protection, and the distribution of environmental benefits and burdens. She works across physical geography, environmental science, economics, policy, governance, and the law, evaluating the effectiveness of regulatory frameworks and governance arrangements in achieving sustainable and equitable outcomes. Her scholarship informs national and regional debates on conservation management, resource governance, and institutional reform, contributing evidence‑based legislative reform that support more resilient and just environmental systems.

In addition to science-informed law changes to 3 laws with extensive geographic impact, she works with consulting clients to create meaningful change on the ground.  She has done consulting work for Canterbury, Southland, Otago, and Waikato Regional Councils as well as Ministry for the Environment.

She has also contributed to environmental decision‑making as an expert witness, appearing several times in Environment Court proceedings and once in the High Court.