World-Leading Scientist Carl Bergstrom To Visit New Zealand Amid Major Shifts In National Science Policy

Te Pūnaha Matatini is bringing acclaimed evolutionary biologist and science system researcher Professor Carl Bergstrom (University of Washington) to New Zealand in February 2026 for a series of public engagements, including a keynote address at the Capital City Complex Systems Symposium in Wellington.

Professor Bergstrom is internationally recognised for his work on how information flows in biology, science and society, and well-known as a public science communicator.

His visit comes at a pivotal moment for Aotearoa New Zealand, as the country navigates major reforms to its science and innovation landscape, including an increased emphasis on advanced technologies such as AI, quantum computing, biotechnology and space research, alongside significant funding cuts to fundamental research.

At the Capital City Complex Systems Symposium, Bergstrom will present new mathematical modelling on the impediments to high-risk, high-return science, and how this is relevant to the future of Aotearoa. At his other speaking engagements, he will be sharing insights problems with the peer review system for scientific literature, on the ways that social media and large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT are changing society, and on how to live, learn and thrive in a world where LLMs are ubiquitous.

The Capital City Complex Systems Symposium, hosted by Te Pūnaha Matatini in Wellington, will bring together researchers, policymakers and industry leaders to explore cutting-edge knowledge of complex systems, and how this knowledge is being used to better understand systems and drive system change. It features international and local experts in complex systems, alongside practitioners and policymakers, including Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton and former Prime Minister Sir Bill English.

National tour and sector engagement

During his visit, Bergstrom will speak at:

University of Otago, 10-11 February

University of Canterbury, 13 February

University of Auckland, 17-19 February

Capital City Complex Systems Symposium, Wellington, 24-25 February

These events will provide opportunities for New Zealand researchers and decision-makers to engage directly with one of the world’s most influential voices on the structure and future of science.

A timely conversation for Aotearoa

Professor Markus Luczak-Roesch, co-director of Te Pūnaha Matatini, says Bergstrom’s visit comes at an important national crossroads. “Carl’s work asks critical questions about how science functions, from peer review to incentives to the long-term sustainability of discovery research. With Aotearoa’s science system undergoing profound change, there is no better moment to be having this conversation. What kind of science nation do we want to be?”

About Carl Bergstrom

Carl T. Bergstrom is Professor of Biology at the University of Washington. His research spans biology, economics, epidemiology, the philosophy and sociology of science, network science, and the spread of misinformation. He is co-author (with Jevin West) of the bestselling book Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World and co-author (with Lee Dugatkin) of the leading college text Evolution

About Te Pūnaha Matatini

Te Pūnaha Matatini is the Aotearoa New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) for complex systems, hosted by the University of Auckland. It is a nationwide network of researchers from universities, government institutes, private sector organisations and communities who use complex systems approaches to understand and drive change in our world.

About the Capital City Complex Systems Symposium

https://www.tepunahamatatini.ac.nz/conferences/symposium-2026

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