School of Chemical and Physical Sciences at VUW

04/06/2026

Project Kororā, New Zealand's first comprehensive student-led CubeSat initiative, has been recognised for their work at the Wellington Gold Awards.

The interdisciplinary team of over 100 students, spanning engineering, space science, law, and the arts, have been working hard behind the scenes to develop a 3U Cube Satellite as part of the university's commitment to space innovation.

The name Kororā comes from New Zealand’s little blue penguin, which is roughly the same size and weight as a 3U CubeSat. The penguin symbolises our mission: to dream boldly and build something extraordinary together, proving that even a flightless bird can inspire a journey to space.

You can visit the Project Kororā website to follow the mission.
https://projectkorora.space/

04/06/2026

SCPS is proud to celebrate the launch of TwoPhold!

TwoPhold is a start-up developing advanced materials to improve solar panel performance and push photovoltaics to the next level.

Co-founders Nikita Shumilov and A/Prof Nathaniel Davis are grateful for the support so far, and more is to come soon.

You can follow their journey: https://www.linkedin.com/company/twophold/posts/?feedView=all

08/05/2026

When SCPS PhD candidate Kiersten Kneisel arrived at the Australian Synchrotron in Melbourne, she was stepping into one of the most powerful scientific facilities in the Southern Hemisphere—and one that would play a key role in her PhD research.

Read about her experience at the link below:
https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/science-engineering/about/news/2026/using-the-synchrotron-to-help-develop-cleaner-energy

13/04/2026

Did you catch VUW Senior Lecturer in Space Science Dr Morgan Cable on the news? Watch her describe how NASA's Artemis II lunar mission was important to test systems for future travel to the moon and see how the human body reacts in deep space.

Victoria University's Morgan Cable says the mission was important to test systems and see how the human body reacts in deep space.

27/03/2026

Congratulations to David Flynn and Chase Zemke-Smith on their achievements at last night’s Ki te Pae Staff Excellence Awards.

Chase received the Te Maruako Tutor Excellence Award, and David was awarded the Professional Staff Excellence Award.

10/02/2026

Celebrating women in science helps open up a pathway for younger women and girls into traditionally male-dominated fields—if you can see it, you can be it.

Today, February 11th, we celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Globally, only one in three scientists are women, meaning science is missing out on a huge number of talented women who could make a real difference, from quantum computing to clean energy.

We would like to showcase some of the amazing women we have in the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. We asked them to describe themselves, how they got into science, what they love about their job or studies, and what messages they would have for younger women getting into science. You can read their full stories at the link below.

https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/scps/about/news/scps-celebrates-international-day-of-women-and-girls-in-science

12/11/2025

Presented by the Royal Society Te Apārangi, the Hamilton Award recognises excellence in scientific research by an early-career researcher. This year, the award was presented to Dr Mathew Anker, a senior lecturer in inorganic chemistry at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, for his transformative work.

Congratulations Mat!

Presented by the Royal Society Te Apārangi, the Hamilton Award recognises excellence in scientific research by an early-career researcher.

10/11/2025

Hearty congratulations to SCPS-based researchers Mat Anker, Rob Keyzers, Nicola Gaston, Uli Zuelicke, Michele Governale, Franck Natali, Charlie Ruffman, and Yvette Perrott for their Marsden Fund successes this year!

Mat and colleagues from the Ferrier Institute and ANU are receiving a Marsden grant to develop The Next Generation of High-Density Data Storage Materials for Data Centres.

Rob and collaborators from SBS, the Ferrier Institute and University of Auckland are awarded a Marsden for Development of new antifungal peptides derived from a New Zealand marine sponge, to combat systemic fungal infections.

Nicola and her Marsden collaborators, including at Auckland Uni (including Charlie Ruffman based here at SCPS) and Franck Natali, will go More than skin deep: understanding the native oxide of gallium.

Michele and Uli are Associate Investigators on a grant led by Joachim Brand from Massey.

Yvette is an Associate Investigator on Interstellar Asteroids, Black Holes and the Big Bang led from University of Auckland by R Meyer.

Overall, VUW has done very well in the Marsden Fund this year, with colleagues in FOSE from the Ferrier Research Institute, SBS, SGEES and the ARC also awarded grants.

The 2025 Marsden Fund sees 13 Te Herenga Waka projects get financial support.

02/10/2025

Many governments and tech companies are investing heavily in quantum technologies. In New Zealand, the recently announced Institute for Advanced Technology is also envisioned to focus on this area of research.

As quantum technologies develop, VUW Professors of Physics Michele Governale and Uli Zuelicke argue quantum literacy becomes essential for informed discussions and policy on their potentially profound societal implications.

Science fiction sometimes uses quantum concepts to make the impossible seem plausible. But real-world developments will likely have profound societal implications.

10/09/2025

The New Zealand Institute of Physics (NZIP) makes three regular awards. This year, two of these awards were presented to SCPS academics. Congratulations Eric and Franck! Read more about their research and success at the link below.

The 2025 Dan Walls Medal has been awarded to Professor Eric Le Ru (Victoria University of Wellington). This biennial medal recognises the physicist working in New Zealand whose predominantly New Zealand-based research has had the greatest national or international impact.

Te Tohu mō te Whaihua i te Mātai Ahupūngao – Physics Impact Award has been conferred on Associate Professor Franck Natali (Victoria University of Wellington). This biennial award honours an individual or team whose physics research delivers demonstrable benefit to Aotearoa New Zealand through commercial success, industrial uptake, or societal impact.

The New Zealand Institute of Physics (NZIP) makes three regular awards. This year’s awards went to the following recipients: