People

If you are interested in joining our research group as a student, then please get in touch (c.postlethwaite@auckland.ac.nz). A list of projects for prospective students is available here.

Current Collaborators


Research students

Current PhD students

  • David Groothuizen Dijkema, 2022-2025. Thesis topic: Symmetric Heteroclinic Networks and Dynamical Dependence on Topology, co-supervised with Vivien Kirk.

  • Morgan Meertens, 2019-2023. Thesis topic: Spike-adding in systems with folded saddles, co-supervised with Vivien Kirk.

  • Yan Kolezhitskiy, 2019-2023. Thesis topic: Metabolism-based behaviour, protocells, and the origins of life, co-supervised with Matthew Egbert.

  • Mario Zarco, 2018-2023. Thesis topic: Sensorimotor behaviour at different scales: from social interaction to the role of culture, co-supervised with Matthew Egbert and Chris Erb.

  • Valerie Jeong, 2018-2022. Thesis topic: Heteroclinic networks and evolutionary robotics, co-supervised with Matthew Egbert

  • Adrian Cervantes, 2017-2022. Co-supervised with Dion O'Neale.

Current Honours students

  • Thomas Bailie, 2021. Dissertation topic: Dynamics of a Braitenburg Vehicle, co-supervised with Matthew Egbert

  • Yaqi Li, 2021. Dissertation topic: Networks in physical space and phase space.

Past research students

PhD Students

  • 2021 Gray Manicom "Heteroclinic networks in models of task switching"

  • 2018 Rebecca Turner "Mathematical modelling of animal navigation"

  • 2016 Andrew Keane “Conceptual models of the El Nino Southern Oscillation”

  • 2015 Anup Purewal “Global effects of Pyragas time-delayed feedback control”

  • 2014 Pingyu Nan “Dynamical Systems analysis of biophysical models with multiple timescales”

MSc Students

  • 2020 Riley Knoedler "Modeling pollination outcomes for bird-pollinated plants in the presence of invasive flora in New Zealand"

  • 2018 Valerie Jeong “Evolutionary robotics and dynamical systems”

  • 2018 Nidia Jackson “Evolutionary robotics and dynamical systems”

  • 2016 Ben Aitkens “Mathematical models of pelagic bird movement”

BSc Honours Students

  • 2021 David Groothuizen Dijkema "Heteroclinic networks in a four-species interaction model with diffusion"

  • 2019 Penghao Liu "Heteroclinic networks in a five-species interaction model"

  • 2018 Nelson Wong "Time delay in evolutionary robotics"

  • 2011 Mengzhe Zhang “Random work models of individual possum movement”

  • 2011 Amnie Mohd Johan “Modelling animal movement”

  • 2010 Tengku Abdul Raham Husna “A mathematical model for pigeon navigation”

  • 2010 Chunyan Li “Resonance in heteroclinic cycles and networks”