About us

Find out about the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences’ staff, research groups, external collaborations and facilities.

The School of Chemical and Physical Sciences at Victoria University of Wellington offers students the chance to study in a truly international environment. Located in the heart of Wellington, New Zealand’s largest scientific community, we attract the best and brightest from all over the world.

Our staff and research groups are recognised internationally and publish regularly in peer-reviewed journals.

The School has strong ongoing relationships with a number of the nation’s leading research institutes such as Callaghan Innovation (formerly Industrial Research Ltd.), GNS Science, NIWA and the Malaghan Institute for Medical Research. The School also hosts the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, the first of seven Centres of Research Excellence in New Zealand and the only centre in the area of physical and materials science.

Collaborations with some of the nation’s top research institutes provide postgraduate and undergraduate students with the opportunity to undertake research at the cutting edge of science.

The Alan MacDiarmid Building, named in honour of one of the University's most respected alumni and the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2000, offers state of the art research equipment and laboratory facilities, keeping Victoria University of Wellington at the forefront of science education and research in New Zealand.