Three PhD students at Victoria have been named as recipients of the Top Doctoral Achiever Scholarships by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), at a total value of nearly $300,000.

The scholarships are awarded to the top 10 per cent of PhD candidates from around the country and provided financial support for three years of research at universities in both New Zealand and overseas.

Teresa Vaughn, Rebecca Bednarek and Emma Dangerfield were awarded amounts ranging from about $98,000 to $101,000. A fourth PhD candidate and Victoria graduate, was awarded almost $110,000.

The topics of the students’ research are wide-ranging, from environmentally friendly chemical catalysts, to balancing the demands of business stakeholders, as well as new cancer therapies.

The University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Neil Quigley said that the scholarship recipients were leaders in their receptive fields.

“These scholarships acknowledge the value the Government places on the importance of these outstanding students to New Zealand’s future. They recognise the cutting-edge research underway at Victoria that will see breakthroughs in medicine, industry and law among other areas.”