Purpose

• To support postgraduate students undertaking research that advances understanding of climate-related risks and opportunities relevant to the aviation sector in New Zealand,
• To encourage high-quality student research in meteorology, climatology, climate risk, and related atmospheric and environmental sciences,
• To foster collaboration between the research community and aviation sector stakeholders on climate-related challenges and opportunities, and
• To promote the principal objective of the Society to encourage an interest in the atmosphere, weather and climate, particularly as related to the New Zealand region, and to foster the exchange of information in meteorology and climatology.

Eligibility and Scholarship Criteria

With support from Air New Zealand, the Scholarship supports postgraduate research that contributes to understanding, assessing, communicating, or responding to climate-related risks and opportunities relevant to aviation in New Zealand. Research may address, but is not limited to:

• Physical climate risks, including extreme weather events, atmospheric rivers, flooding, wind, heat, turbulence, sea-level rise, and other climate hazards affecting aviation operations and infrastructure,
• Transition risks associated with climate policy, carbon pricing, changing customer preferences, market responses, and regulatory developments,
• Climate adaptation and resilience planning for airports, airlines, and aviation-related infrastructure,
• Aviation weather and climate services, climate risk assessment methodologies, decision-support tools, and uncertainty analysis, and
• Other topics that advance understanding of the interactions between climate, weather, and the aviation sector.

Applicants must be enrolled, or intending to enrol, in a postgraduate qualification at a recognised New Zealand tertiary institution. Subject to the availability of funding, the Society may offer:

• One or more Masters Research Scholarships (up to $10,000 each) to support the thesis component of a research Master's degree; and/or
• One or more Postgraduate Summer Research Scholarships (up to $7,000 each) to support approximately 10 weeks of full-time research.

Application Deadline and Processing

Applications for a postgraduate scholarship should be submitted to the Society awards sub-committee (awards@metsoc.org.nz) by 31 October 2026. A scholarship will only be conferred if applications of sufficient merit are received. Each application should include:

• A research proposal outlining the objectives, methodology, expected outcomes, and relevance of the proposed project,
• A curriculum vitae,
• Academic transcripts, and
• A letter of support from the proposed academic supervisor.

Applications will be assessed by the Society Committee, or a panel appointed by the Committee, having regard to the academic merit and feasibility of the proposed research, its relevance to climate-related risks and opportunities affecting New Zealand's aviation sector, and its potential to improve understanding, adaptation, resilience, or climate-informed decision-making for aviation. Recipients will be expected to provide a brief written report on the outcomes of their research and are encouraged to present their findings at a Meteorological Society Conference or other Society event. Recipients will also be invited to present their research findings to Air New Zealand's Sustainability team in recognition of the airline's support for the Scholarship.