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Associate Professor Nic Rawlence serves in the Department of Zoology, Division of Sciences, at the University of Otago, where he is the Director of the Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, co-directed with Professor Jon Waters. He earned his PhD in 2011 from the University of Adelaide at the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, with a thesis reconstructing the palaeoecology and population demographics of the extinct New Zealand moa. In 2013, he established the Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory. His research specializations encompass ancient DNA, the evolution and palaeoecology of extinct fauna, effects of climate change and human impact on past ecosystems, palaeoenvironmental DNA, conservation biology, fisheries induced evolution, and conservation palaeontology and palaeoecology. Key projects include investigations into the impact of humans and climate change on New Zealand's terrestrial, coastal, and marine fauna; evolution and phylogeography of New Zealand's extinct avian fauna; southern hemisphere biogeography; and fisheries induced evolution.
Rawlence teaches GENE 411 Current Topics in Genetics, ZOOL 222 Evolutionary Biology, ZOOL 423 From Extinction to De-Extinction, and GNS Quaternary Techniques Short Course. His major publications include "Ancient DNA reveals elephant birds and kiwi are sister taxa and clarifies ratite bird evolution" (Science, 2014), "Human-mediated extirpation of the unique Chatham Islands sea lion and implications for the conservation management of remaining New Zealand sea lion populations" (Molecular Ecology, 2016), "Dietary interpretations for extinct megafauna using coprolites, intestinal contents and stable isotopes: Complimentary or contradictory?" (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2016), "Geographically contrasting biodiversity reductions in a widespread New Zealand seabird" (Molecular Ecology, 2015), and "Radiocarbon-dating and ancient DNA reveal rapid replacement of extinct prehistoric penguins" (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2015). In 2025, he was awarded the Cranwell Medal by the New Zealand Association of Scientists for excellence in science communication to the general public. Rawlence has delivered hundreds of media interviews, written for The Conversation, appeared in documentaries, and given public lectures. He is a council member for Birds New Zealand and the New Zealand Association of Scientists, tertiary representative for Biology Educators of Aotearoa New Zealand, and lifetime fellow of Genomics for Aotearoa New Zealand.
A new Miocene goose fossil from St Bathans challenges long-held views on NZ bird evolution, led by University of Otago researchers.
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