Master's thesis projects
PDHM availability and the wellbeing of families with preterm infants
| Closing date | Subject area | Location | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 January 2024 | Master of Public Health | Manawatū or by negotiation | Dr Linda Murray |
Preferred candidate
This project is perfect for someone interested in maternal and child health, nutrition, or interventions to support families to thrive.
You will be required to conduct interviews with families connected with a donor milk banking service, and conduct analysis informed by qualitative research methodologies.
If you are not based in the Manawatū you can complete your work remotely. You will need to be self-directed, curious, have good interpersonal skills, and be enthusiastic about public health.
Eligibility
To be eligible, you need to:
- be enrolled in a 90 credit thesis to complete the Master of Public Health
- have completed the first core 120 credits of the Master of Public Health.
About this project
The “a bridge to a better future” project is a collaboration between Massey University researchers and the Whāngai Ora Milk Bank in Palmerston North.
The project is investigating how the availability of donor milk affects breastfeeding practices and family wellbeing, and the experiences of both donors and recipient families.
How to apply
Contact Linda Murray at l.murray1@massey.ac.nz
Doctoral thesis projects
Find a doctoral thesis project without an attached scholarship. We strongly encourage you to seek other funding sources, including Massey-wide scholarships.
Evaluation of Healthy Active Learning initiative
| Closing date | Subject area | Location | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 January 2025 |
Multiple opportunities available: Physical activity Nutrition Public health Education Economics Statistics |
Auckland campus | Professor Ajmol Ali |
Preferred candidate
PhD candidates with a background in physical activity, nutrition, psychology, education, economics and/or statistics who want to undertake research in different aspects of public health.
Eligibility
To be eligible, you need to:
- have a master’s degree in a relevant field — for example nutrition, sport and exercise, public health, biostatistics, economics, sleep science, education, psychology
- have an interest in working with children
- be flexible, able to work in a multidisciplinary team, and passionate about public health research
- have appropriate English language abilities.
To be eligible for a Massey University Doctoral Scholarship, a minimum New Zealand GPA of 7.5 is required (approximately A- average) or a minimum GPA of 3.33 on the United States scale.
About this project
Healthy Active Learning is a joint government initiative between Sport New Zealand and the Ministries of Health and Education to improve the wellbeing of tamariki (children) and rangatahi (youth) through healthy eating and drinking and quality physical activity. It is driven by a $47m government commitment to the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy.
The baseline assessment has been completed (2020-2021). The Phase 1 post-intervention data will be collected in 2022-2023, and the Phase 2 post-intervention data will be collected in 2024-2025. As part of the evaluation, we will investigate physical activity of students (within and outside of school) using a variety of research tools including:
- accelerometers
- questionnaires
- student focus groups
- teacher and parent surveys
- teacher and parent focus groups.
We also have several sources of data from Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Sport New Zealand.
Currently, there are two PhD and five master’s students working on various aspects of the project. You will work with Professor Ajmol Ali and other academics (as appropriate, depending on topic area/discipline) to:
- set the criteria for assessment
- undertake a detailed literature review
- identify specific aims and objectives
- examine and analyse relevant data
- write up a thesis.
This is your chance to work on a nationwide project, involving three different government agencies, undertaking work that will impact the children of New Zealand.
View a short presentation explaining the evaluation
Learn more about the intervention
How to apply
Email Professor Ajmol Ali: A.Ali@massey.ac.nz
Please send the following documents with your enquiry email:
- cover letter
- CV with referees
- academic record
- English language certification.
Vascular endothelial growth factor C and VEGFR3 in heart disease patients
| Closing date | Subject area | Location | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| No closing date | Health sciences | Wellington campus | Dr Barry Palmer |
Preferred candidate
A PhD candidate with a background in biochemistry and/or molecular biology who wants to undertake research in the field of assessing heart disease biomarkers.
Eligibility
To be eligible, you need to:
- have a master’s or bachelor’s degree with honours (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline
- know about the assaying of protein markers from plasma and/or the analysis of genetic polymorphisms
- be enthusiastic for challenges
- be well-organised, self-motivated and keen to learn new skills and knowledge.
Experience in ELISA assays and real-time qPCR assays would be advantageous, but is not essential.
To be eligible for a Massey University Doctoral Scholarship, a minimum New Zealand GPA of 7.5 is required (approximately A- average) or a minimum GPA of 3.33 on the United States scale.
About this project
This project is an extension of investigation into baseline levels of components of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) system (a proxy for angiogenic potential) in heart disease patient plasma and DNA samples.
VEGF-C binds VEGFR2 (KDR) and VEGFR3 (FLT4 — fms-like tyrosine kinase 4) and regulates growth of vessels in the lymphatic system. As well as its role in lymphangiogenesis, VEGF-C’s interaction with VEGFR2 may lead to angiogenesis by regulating a specialised subset of endothelial cells that express VEGFR2.
VEGF-C also induces the activation of VEGFR3+ dendritic cells — stimulating their migration and maturation, potentially influencing immune and inflammatory responses to coronary heart disease. Soluble VEGFR3 (sVEGFR3) has been proposed as an angiogenic biomarker in cancer diagnosis and treatment, and may have use as a prognostic biomarker in heart patients.
Lymphangiogenesis has been observed in humans after heart attack. VEGF-C mRNA expression has been shown to be upregulated in heart biopsies from heart failure patients with either ischaemic (ICM) or dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) compared to samples from donated, non-failing hearts.
In mice, myocardial ischaemia or ischaemia-reperfusion leads to VEGF-C and VEGFR3 protein over-expression. VEGFR3 blockade and treatment with VEGF-C neutralising antibody reduces the boost in lymphatic vessel density, blunts lymphatic transport, increases inflammation, increases oedema, and increases cardiac dysfunction.
Stimulating the endogenous lymphangiogenesis response with VEGF-C treatment reduces inflammation, reduces oedema, and improves cardiac dysfunction. High levels of VEGF-C in human circulation may positively affect recovery from acute heart disease events.
How to apply
Email Dr Barry Palmer: B.Palmer@massey.ac.nz.
Please send the following documents with your enquiry email:
- cover letter
- CV with referees
- academic record.