1. category
  2. 2023 Grantees

Ken Shultz

Fulbright Specialist Award Massey University’s School of Psychology hosted Ken Shultz from California for three weeks in October 2023 where Ken made three presentations, one each in Palmerston North, Wellington, and Auckland. Ken also worked with Fiona Alpass and the Health and Ageing Research Team to outline collaborative research on how perceptions of training opportunities in older workers impacts their continued work and retirement aspirations using data from the New Zealand Health, Work, and Retirement Study. Ken is a Professor of Industrial and Organizational (IO) Psychology and Department Chair in the Department of Psychology at California State University, San Bernardino.

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Bonita Bigham (Ngāruahine, Te Atiawa)

Fulbright New Zealand General Graduate Award Bonita Bigham from Manaia, Taranaki will research impacts of laws and conventions on the retrieval and use of marine mammal resources for artistic purposes, in Aotearoa and Hawai’i. Bonita is studying for a PhD in Fine Arts at Massey University. She graduated with a Diploma in Print Journalism at Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki in 2002, a Master of Fine Arts in 2019 and a Master of Māori Visual Arts in 2021 from Massey University, and Toi Paematua Raranga – Diploma in Māori Arts at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in 2021. Bonita is a Taranaki Regional Councillor, artist and passionate community and Māori arts advocate.

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Timothy (Tim) Lawler

Fulbright New Zealand General Graduate Award Tim Lawler from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland will research rights protection in presidential counter-terrorism policy at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and at George Washington University in Washington DC. Tim graduated with a BA in Politics in 2019 and a Master of International Studies (Dist) from the University of Otago in 2020.

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Leah Thomas

Fulbright New Zealand General Graduate Award Leah Thomas from Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington will complete a Master of Arts Management and Entrepreneurship at the New School in New York City, New York. Leah graduated with a BMus (Hons First Class) from Te Kōkī – the New Zealand School of Music in 2021 and an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 2023.

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James (Jimmy) Toebes

Fulbright New Zealand General Graduate Award Jimmy Toebes from Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington will complete a Master of Laws with a focus on criminal law and theory, therapeutic jurisprudence, and the implementation of its principles via the Te Ao M?rama model at New York University in New York City, New York. Jimmy graduated with an LLB (Hons) and a BA in Politics and International Relations from the University of Auckland in 2017.

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Nina Opacic

Fulbright Science and Innovation Graduate Award Nina Opacic from Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington will complete an LLM in Environment and Energy Law from New York University (NYU) in New York City, New York. Nina graduated with an LLB (Hons First Class) and a BA in International Relations and Political Science from Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University in 2019.

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Naomi Simon-Kumar

Fulbright Science and Innovation Graduate Award Naomi Simon-Kumar from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland will complete a Master of Public Health specialising in Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University in New York City, New York. Naomi graduated with a BA and a BSc from the University of Auckland in 2018, a Diploma of International Relations from the University of Oxford (UK) in 2019.

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Siautu Alefaio-Tugia (Fagamalo, Matautu-Tai, Sāsina ma Manunu)

Fulbright New Zealand Scholar Award Siautu Alefaio-Tugia from South Auckland is researching Pacific-Indigenous and urban diasporic resilience across disaster and humanitarian contexts, at the National Disaster Preparedness Training Centre (NDPTC) University of Hawai’i, and the Centre for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies (CHRandR) at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. Siautu is Professor of Psychology at the University of Otago.

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Gillian (Gill) Bonnett

Fulbright New Zealand Scholar Award Gill Bonnett from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland will research the Migration 5 collaboration between New Zealand, the US, UK, Canada and Australia at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University in Washington DC. Gill is a graduate in politics and French from the University of Liverpool and is the Immigration Reporter at Radio New Zealand.

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Annie Te One (Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Mutunga)

Fulbright New Zealand Scholar Award Annie Te One from Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington will research connections between Māori and Hawai’ian political philosophies and the ways they inform political practice in the Indigenous Politics Programme at the University of Hawai’i in Mānoa. Annie is a Lecturer in Te Kawa a Māui, the school of Māori Studies at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington.

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Gina Cole

Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writer’s Residency Gina Cole from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, New Zealand will attend a three-month writer’s residency at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa to work on a science fiction fantasy novel in the genre of Pasifikafuturism. Gina graduated with an LLB (Hons) from the University of Auckland in 1991, a Master of Jurisprudence in 1995, a Master of Creative Writing (First Class Hons) in 2014 and a PhD in Philosophy from Massey University in 2021.

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Hinekura Smith (Te Rarawa, Ngā Puhi)

Fulbright Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Scholar Award Hinekura Smith from Northland will research Native American and Native Hawai’ian women’s traditional clothing making as decolonising and culturally regenerative arts praxis. Hinekura is a senior lecturer and director of Ngā Wai a Te Tūi Māori and Indigenous Research Centre at Unitec Te Pūkenga.

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Murdoch Stephens

Fulbright New Zealand Scholar Award Murdoch Stephens from Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington will research how countries respond to global humanitarian emergencies at California State University Northridge in Los Angeles, California. Murdoch is the Senior Policy Advisor at New Zealand Red Cross and a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Asia Pacific Refugees Studies at the University of Auckland.

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Siân Halcrow

Fulbright New Zealand Scholar Award Siân Halcrow from Ōtepoti Dunedin will research the bioethics of the use of anatomical human remains in Aotearoa and the United States at the University of California, Berkeley. Siân is a Professor in the Department of Anatomy at the University of Otago.

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Alice Chang-Richards

Fulbright New Zealand Scholar Award Alice Chang-Richards from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland will research building recovery trajectories following the Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Alice is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Auckland.

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Krystal Wright

Fulbright Science and Innovation Graduate Award Krystal Wright from Kāpiti will research improving adherence to endocrine therapy for young women with breast cancer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. She is studying for a PhD at the University of Auckland. Krystal graduated from the University of Auckland with a BHSc in Population Health and a BA in Psychology and Politics in 2021. She completed a Master of Health Psychology in 2023.

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Amy Spittal

Fulbright Science and Innovation Graduate Award Amy Spittal from Kirikiriroa Hamilton will complete a Master of Arts in Economics at New York University in New York City, New York. Amy graduated with a BA in French and International Relations and a BCom in Economics from Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington in 2021.

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Andrea (Andi) Shirtcliffe

Fulbright Science and Innovation Graduate Award Andi Shirtcliffe from Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington will complete a Master of Public Health specialising in Health Behaviour and Society at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. Andi graduated with a Bachelor of Pharmacy and a PGDip in Pharmacy (Dist) from the University of Otago. She is a Clinical Chief Advisor in the Office of the Chief Clinical Officers at Aoteoroa New Zealand’s Manatū Hauora (Ministry of Health).

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Isabel Kelly

Fulbright Science and Innovation Graduate Award Isabel Kelly from Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington will complete a Master in Public Policy specialising in climate change policy at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Isabel graduated with an LLB and a BCom in Economics from the University of Auckland in 2019.

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Nico Hackner

Fulbright Science and Innovation Graduate Award Nico Hackner from Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington will complete a PhD in Physics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. Nico graduated with a BSc (Hons First Class) in Physics from the University of Otago in 2021.

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Jennifer Berry

Fulbright Science and Innovation Graduate Award Jennifer Berry from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland will complete a Master of Science specialising in Space Engineering at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California. Jennifer graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons First Class) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Canterbury in 2022.

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Katherine (Kat) Werry

Fulbright New Zealand General Graduate Award Kat Werry from Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington will complete a Master of Laws specialising in Criminal Justice at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Kat graduated with an LLB (Hons) and a BA in Politics and Philosophy from the University of Auckland in 2020.

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Emerita Baik

Fulbright New Zealand General Graduate Award Emerita Baik from Kirikiriroa Hamilton will complete a Master of Fine Arts at Columbia University, New York City, New York. Emerita graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Hons First Class) from Massey University, Wellington in 2019.

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Lachlan Taylor

Fulbright New Zealand General Graduate Award Lachlan Taylor from ÅŒtautahi Christchurch will complete a PhD in Art History at the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. Lachlan graduated with an MA in Art History from Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington in 2019 and an MA in Creative Writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington in 2022.

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Rebecca Hawkes

Fulbright New Zealand General Graduate Award Rebecca Hawkes from Methven will complete a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Rebecca graduated with a BA in Media Studies from Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington in 2015, an MA in Creative Writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington in 2016, and First-class Honours in Media Studies from Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington in 2017.

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Lael Tate

Fulbright US Graduate Award Lael Tate from Portland, Oregon will complete a BA (Hons) in Māori Studies at the University of Auckland. Lael graduated with a BA in Ethnicity and Race Studies at Columbia University in New York City, New York in 2020.

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Abi Bartlett

Fulbright US Graduate Award Abi Bartlett from Monticello, Minnesota will research geomorphology of rivers and the relationship people have with them in New Zealand, learning Māori ways of knowing. Abi graduated with a BA in Geology from the University of Minnesota, Morris in 2022 with an emphasis in Hydrology and Geochemistry.

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Hannah Johnson

Fulbright US Scholar Award Hannah Johnson from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania will research rhetoric deployed against marginalized outgroups in Western history at the University of Otago. Hannah is a Professor in the Department of English at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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Lanea Tuiasosopo

Fulbright US Graduate Award Lanea Tuiasosopo will complete a Master of Global Studies at the University of Auckland. Her focus is on sport as a developmental tool for health, education, and gender equality in Pacific communities. Lanea graduated with a BA in Communications and Global Health from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2019.

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Madison Emond

Fulbright US Graduate Award Madison Emond from Providence, Rhode Island will be creating photographic work at Massey University’s College of Creative Arts in Wellington, New Zealand. Madison graduated with a BA in Photography at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY in 2018.

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Wilson (Will) McNeil

Fulbright US Graduate Award Will McNeil from Morgantown, West Virginia will research the impact of outdoor air quality on stormwater runoff contamination at the University of Canterbury. Will graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering from West Virginia University in 2021, and an MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2022.

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Jacqualine (Jackie) Grant

Fulbright US Scholar Award Jackie Grant from Cedar City, Utah will research native plant seed collection and cultural significance at the New Zealand Indigenous Flora Seed Bank at Massey University in Palmerston North. Jackie is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences and Museum Curator at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah.

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Mark Stukel

Fulbright US Graduate Award Mark Stukel from Naperville, Illinois will research the evolutionary relationships and history of hybridisation events in New Zealand cicadas at the University of Auckland as part of his PhD dissertation work at the University of Connecticut. Mark graduated with a BS in Biology from Hope College in Holland, MI in 2016.

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Andrea Ruizorvis

Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Programme for US Teachers Andrea Ruizorvis from New York City, New York, will be researching the ‘Teaching as Inquiry’ framework, employed in the New Zealand public education system, at Victoria University of Wellington. Andrea is a primary school teacher at Mott Haven Academy Charter School in the Bronx, New York.

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Melanie Stowell

Fulbright US Graduate Award Melanie Stowell from Denver, Colorado will support the evaluation and expansion of a health promotion intervention designed to support new mothers and families in preventing childhood obesity, at the University of Auckland. Melanie graduated with a BA in French and Psychology from the University of Denver in 2014, and an MSc in Medical Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh in 2015.

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Michael Bishop

Fulbright US Graduate Award Michael Bishop from Honolulu, Hawaii will research sacred ground, legal personhood, the rights of nature, and creative non-fiction writing at the University of Auckland. Michael graduated with a BA in Psychology from the Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2010, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Idaho in 2021.

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Jessica Hardin

Fulbright US Scholar Award Jessica Hardin from Staten Island, New York will research medical decision making in Samoan communities at the University of Auckland. Jessica is an Assistant Professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY.

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Joellen Russell

Fulbright US Scholar Award Joellen Russell from Tucson, Arizona will help design the modelling framework to combine atmospheric and oceanic observations in order to provide near-real-time information about carbon dioxide emissions and uptake with scientists at the National Institute of Water and Air (NIWA) in Wellington. Joellen is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.

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Caroline Caldwell

Fulbright US Graduate Award Caroline Caldwell from Cascade, Montana will complete a Master of Management in Agribusiness at Lincoln University. Caroline graduated with a BA in Environmental Studies from Bates College in 2015 in Lewistown, Maine.

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Katharine Suding

Fulbright US Scholar Award Katharine Suding from Boulder, Colorado will research trajectories of biodiversity change at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. Katharine is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado.

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Nicholas (Nick) Dragone

Fulbright US Graduate Award Nick Dragone from Boulder, Colorado will research the microorganisms found in New Zealand’s geothermal and volcanic environments at the University of Canterbury. Nick graduated from Middlebury College, Vermont in 2014 with a BA in Biology and will complete a PhD at the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023.

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Christina Thomas (Numu-Northern Paiute, Newe-Western Shoshone, Hopi)

Fulbright US Graduate Award Christina Thomas from Wadsworth, Nevada will be based at the University of Auckland, working with iwi across Aotearoa to conduct research on Te Reo Māori, performance and culture. Christina graduated with a BA in Music and a Minor in Biology at the University of Nevada, Reno, in 2019, and received an MA in Native American Studies from the University of California, Davis in 2021. Christina is currently a doctoral student in Native American Studies and earning a Designated Emphasis in Performance and Practice Studies at the University of California, Davis.

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Kelley Barsanti

Fulbright US Scholar Award Kelley Barsanti from Boulder, Colorado will research the linkages between fuels, fire behaviour, fire emissions, and air pollutant formation with the Rural Fire Research Group at Scion in Christchurch. Kelley is a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, in the Atmospheric Chemistry Observations and Modeling Laboratory, in Boulder, Colorado.

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Emily Beck

Fulbright US Graduate Award Emily Beck from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina will complete a Master of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the Auckland University of Technology. Emily graduated with a BA in Psychology (Summa Cum Laude) from the College of Charleston in 2017.

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Emily Levesque

Fulbright US Scholar Award Emily Levesque from Seattle, Washington will research Thorne-Zytkow Objects and the evolution of binary massive stars at the University of Auckland. Emily is an Associate Professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.

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Kevin Lujan Lee (Chamoru, familian Capili)

Fulbright US Graduate Award Kevin Lujan Lee from Johor Bahru (Malaysia) and Guāhan will research Pasifika community organisations and low-wage work at the University of Auckland. Kevin graduated with a BA in Philosophy and the Study of Religion from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2015, and an AM in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago in 2017.

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Robin Prichard

Fulbright US Scholar Award Robin Prichard from Munroe Falls, Ohio will research Aotearoa/New Zealand Māori Dance and Decolonizing Dance Education at the University of Auckland. Robin is an Independent Scholar/Artist in the US and holds a BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase, and an MFA in Dance from UCLA.

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Emily Musta

Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Programme for US Teachers Emily Julien Musta from Flagstaff, Arizona will research Ka Hikitia and culturally responsive and relational strategies for teachers at Victoria University of Wellington. Emily is the Honors and AP Biology teacher at Flagstaff High School in Flagstaff, Arizona.

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Samantha (Sammi) Maza

Fulbright US Graduate Award Sammi Maza from Englewood, New Jersey will research Mana Wahine epistemology and indigenous feminist knowledge production at the University of Auckland. Sammi graduated with a BA in Gender and Sexuality Studies (Hons), and a certificate in Gender Based Violence Prevention from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA in 2022.

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