Visiting Fellow Dr David Gruber Delivers Lecture on Neuroscience in the Media14/04/2017¯The New Zealand Centre hosted Dr David R. Gruber, Visiting Research Fellow from the Department of English and Media at Massey University based in Auckland. The audience were challenged to think about applications of neuroscience in the media, as well as future needs and challenges.
The New Zealand Centre was delighted to host Dr.Jeremy Piggott, a NZC Visiting Research Fellow from theDepartment of Zoology at the University of Otago from 10-14 April. During his stay in Beijing, Dr.Piggott partook in academic activities with Professor Yi Huang and her research team at Peking University’s College of Environmental Sciences andEngineering. During his visit, he delivered a seminarentitled “Climate change and multiple stressors in agricultural streams” on Thursday 13th April 2017. Attendance at his seminar included Mr Al Ross, Counsellor for Science & Innovation from the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing. Dr. Piggott is a Research Fellow at the University of Otago (New Zealand) and incoming Assistant Professor of Aquatic Biology at Trinity College, University of Dublin (Ireland). Furthermore, Dr. Piggott is currently the Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Ecology and journal Limnology, Advisor to the European Union funded MARS project (Managing Aquatic ecosystems and water Resources under multiple Stress); and a Lead Author of the forthcoming Regional Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for Asia and the Pacific for the Intergovernmental science-policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
Dr Piggot delivering his guest lecture to students and faculty. In the seminar, Dr. Piggott discussed how climate change and its impacts are likely to be the dominant driver of biodiversity loss and changes in ecosystem functioning by the end of this century, buthow the various drivers of climate change will interact with the multiple stressors already impacting ecosystems remains one of the largest uncertainty in projections of future biodiversity change. Addressing this knowledge gap, his research seeks to understand how climate and land-use related stressors interact to affect biodiversity and ecosystem function in freshwaters. In particular, he studies how multiple stressors interact to create ‘ecological surprises’. Dr. Piggott’s investigations have studied multiple stressors in streams across a range of spatial scales using multi-factorial manipulative field experiments to disentangle complex interactive effects from genes to ecosystems. This knowledge is proving essential for effective freshwater management and policy, and for advancing multiple-stressor theory in the face of global change.
Dr Piggot with faculty, students, and representatives from the New Zealand Embassy. Dr. Piggott’s visit supported by the New Zealand Centre has consolidated his research cooperation with Professor Huang Yi on the Regional Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for Asia and the Pacific for the Intergovernmental science-policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). It has also set the stage for future joint research investigating multi-functionality thresholds relating biodiversity to ecosystem function in aquatic ecosystems. Furthermore, Professor Huang Yi has invited Dr. Piggott to return to Beijing in August to participate in a panel discussion session on IPBES at the 12th International Congress of Ecology (INTECOL 2017 Beijing).Such cooperation underpinsthe strategic ‘water research’ theme of the MBIE/MOST ‘NZ-China Strategic Research Alliance’ and the ‘MFAT NZ Inc. China Strategy’ for furthering New Zealand’s relationship with China through collaborativeresearch leadership and exchange. Dr Jeremy Piggottdelivered hisseminar as part of a Visiting Fellowship with the New Zealand Centre at Peking University. If you are a member of the academic staff from any of our eight partner institutions and you are interested in attending a fellowship at Peking University, get in touch with our liaison officers to learn more about the application process. Visiting fellowships for New Zealand academics are held year-round at Peking University, across a broad range of departments, forming a significant contribution to the advancement of academic exchange between China and New Zealand. |
