Our Amazing Sponsors
Tautuku Education Centre
The Catlins, New Zealand
Friday 1st December - Sunday 3rd December 2023
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Message from the 2023 organizers
Kia ora e te whānau, thanks for joining us in Tautuku for the 2023 MolEcol Meeting. A massive thankyou to all the attendees and organizing committee who made this event a huge success!
Connecting and reconnecting with you all was a pleasure, and we trust you enjoyed yoursleves too.
As always, we enjoyed witnessing the massive breadth of Molecular Ecology research being conducted across Aotearoa. We also really appreciated the open and supportive atmosphere, with both students and non-students offering insights and advice on each other's work.
For those of you who were unable to join us this year, here are some announcements:
Speed talk winners:
1st Prize - Kahu Hema (University of Otago)
2nd Prize - Hadley Muller (University of Otago)
Regular talk winners:
1st Prize – Hui Zhen Tan (University of Auckland)
2nd Prize - Mary Hawkes (University of Otago)
Special talk prize:
Monica Vallender (University of Otago)
Winner of WilderLab eDNA raffle
Mary Hawkes (University of Otago)
Again, thanks for everyone's participation in this year's event. We look forward to seeing you all at NZ Mol Ecol 2024 to hear about your progress! PLEASE NOTE - this website will be passed on to the 2024 organisers to use for the next meeting.
Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me te Tau Hou
Season's greetings for the Christmas and New Year
Noho ora mai rā
Look after yourselves
2023 Student winners
2023 attendees @ Tautuku
Abstract Submission
**Abstract submission EXTENDED**
closes November 17th @ 5pm
Registration
Registration closes November 14th @ 5pm
We have four registration options:
$260 for Students (staying onsite)
$210 for Students (staying offsite)
$360 for Non-students (staying onsite)
$310 for Non-students (staying offsite)
Eventbrite fees are added at checkout.
Genetics Society of Australasia Members get a 10% discount! Use the code: GSA at checkout!
Preliminary schedule
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Friday 1st Dec
Saturday 2nd Dec
Sunday 3rd Dec
Depart Dunedin in the afternoon
Passing via Dunedin airport 3.30pm or 5pm (Depending on flights)
Arrive at Tautuku 5pm
Dinner @ 7pm, followed by Quiz!
Full day of talks
Annual North vs South Football match
Morning of talks
Depart by 12pm
Lunch
Visit to Cathedral Caves (if open) or McLean Falls (optional)
Bus/Cars leave Tautuku early-afternoon
Our 2023 Keynote Speakers
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Dr Alana Alexander
Title: Haepapa, hapa and hollandaise
Abstract: Alana will talk about some projects that have evolved out of a sense of haepapa [responsibilities] to hapori [communities] Māori, intertwined with becoming closer to her taha Māori [Māori side] as a Māori scientist who grew up te ao Pākehā. She’ll also talk about some of the hapa [mistakes] she has made along the way, nā te mea, mā te hapa ka ako [by mistakes comes learning].
Profile: Dr. Alana Alexander (Te Hikutū (Ngāpuhi), Pākehā) uses genetics to learn how challenges of the past and present have impacted on species, and what the impact of threats might be in the future, focussing mostly on whales and dolphins. As a Māori scientist Alana also maintains a strong interest in ensuring that her research can be used to support kaitiakitanga and rangatiratanga of iwi, hapū and papatipu rūnaka.
Professor Jemma Geoghegan
Title: The role of host ecology in shaping the virome
Abstract: This work attempts to uncover novel viruses to reveal more of the unexplored virosphere, uncover potential disease-causing viruses affecting wildlife, and identify factors that shape virome composition.
Profile: Jemma is a Professor and Rutherford Discovery Fellow at the University of Otago in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology where she holds the Webster Family Chair in Viral Pathogenesis. She is an evolutionary virologist with a strong research focus on emerging infectious disease. Her research focuses on determining the fundamental patterns and processes of viral evolution, ecology and emergence. Jemma's research involves using metagenomics to reveal the diversity, structure and evolution of the virosphere; examining the evolution of major viral infections, including SARS-CoV-2; and developing new analytical and computational approaches to analyse aspects of virus evolution. Jemma holds a joint position at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research, which is the National Infectious Disease Reference Laboratory in New Zealand, and co-led genomic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 in New Zealand.