Dr Julia Horsfield, of the University of Otago pathology department, will receive $50,000 over a year, and Prof John McCall, of the university department of medical and surgical sciences, receives $50,000 a year over two years.
The investment awards are intended for the strategic advancement of research involving the Dunedin school.
The awards were announced in the Hutton Theatre at the Otago Museum on Wednesday night in an annual function organised to acknowledge the work of health researchers at the university and the Otago District Health Board.
Dr Horsfield intends to collaborate with the university's Christchurch School of Medicine to promote zebrafish as a model organism for investigating the biological effects of oxidative stress.
Prof McCall's research focuses on the colorectal translational research group.
Dr Horsfield, who is director of the zebrafish facility at the Otago pathology department and principal investigator in the university's chromosome structure and development group, was "absolutely thrilled" to gain the award.
Oxidative stress has been linked with age-related tissue damage in the body and some neurological disorders, such as dementia.
She said the zebrafish facility was still being developed but was already involved in collaborative work with several researchers on a range of study areas, including leukaemia.
Other awards were. -ODHB clinical research: Dr Nicholas Cutfield (neurology), $15,000.
Research support person: Merrilee Williams (gastroenterology), $3000.
Research publications: Dr Tania Slatter (pathology); Dr Simon Stebbings and Prof Rob Walker (both medical and surgical sciences), $1000 each.
PhD publication: Dr Alwyn Todd (medical and surgical sciences) $2000.
Research posters: Dr Graeme Hammond-Tooke (medical and surgical sciences), Caiyun Grace Li (pathology), $500 each.
Gil Barbezat summer studentship: Shanshan Yan (psychological medicine), $250.