Albert Refiti will research and write a book title Cosmogonic Artefacts: Spatial Exposition of Pacific Architecture, while being based at the Bard Graduate Center in New York City. Albert is a Professor of Art, Design and Material Culture at Auckland University of Technology in Aotearoa NZ.
Kelly Tikao from Christchurch will research how native Hawaiian practitioners and traditional healers rejuvenate customary native Hawaiian maternity practices in the hospital and community environments. Kelly is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Nursing and the Department of Māori Indigenous Health Innovations at the University of Otago, Christchurch.
Jerome Ng will research how health systems achieve and deliver high quality healthcare and outcomes at Harvard Medical School. Jerome is Clinical Director: Clinical Governance at Health New Zealand│Te Whatu Ora – Counties Manukau and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland.
Leteisha Te Awhe-Downey from Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington will be a Visiting Student Researcher looking at Indigenous experiences of diaspora at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, and the University of California, Berkeley. Leteisha graduated with a BA in Geography and Indigenous Development from Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago in 2020, and a BA (Hons First Class) in Geography and Māori Studies in 2021.
Michael Baker will research the prevention and control of emerging infectious diseases at the Harvard University Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics in Boston, Massachusetts. Michael is Professor Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington.
Anna Rankin from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland will complete a Masters of Arts in Journalism with a Politics Concentration at Columbia University in New York City, New York. Anna graduated with a PGDip in Journalism from Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau Auckland University of Technology in 2014 and an MA in Creative Writing (Non-fiction) from the International Institute of Modern Letters at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington in 2018.
Maria Rabino-Neira from Auckland will research how humanitarian exemptions have evolved under international sanctions regimes, especially in counter-terrorism frameworks, at Harvard University in Massachusetts. Maria graduated with an LLB in 2015, a Master of Conflict and Terrorism Studies (Hons First Class) from the University of Auckland in 2021, and is now doing her PhD in the Faculty of Law at Victoria University of Wellington.
Phoebe Johnson from Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington will be studying a Performer Composer Master of Fine Arts, at the New School in New York City, New York. Phoebe graduated with a BMus (Hons first class) in Jazz Performance from Te Kōkī, The New Zealand School of Music in 2019.
Synteche Collins from Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa New Zealand, will research Indigenous and survivor-led approaches to combatting human trafficking at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Synteche is the founder of the Pacific Survivor Collective, a member of the Lived Experience Panel of the Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking and intends to undertake her PhD at Auckland University of Technology (AUT).
Cam Young from Hastings will research chronic disease progression, focusing on how diet during pregnancy causes epigenetic changes in offspring at the Wisconsin Institute of Discovery, University of Wisconsin–Madison in Wisconsin, and nutritional public health interventions at the Centre for Indigenous Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Arizona and New Mexico. Cam graduated with a BSc (Hons First Class) in 2022 and is partway through a PhD and MB ChB at the University of Otago.
Nathan Joe from Ōtautahi Christchurch will complete a Master of Fine Arts specialising in Playwriting at the Michener Center for Writers, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. Nathan graduated with a Bachelor in Broadcasting Communications from the New Zealand Broadcasting School, Ara, in 2012.
Eric Shen from Auckland will complete a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Eric graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons First Class) in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Auckland in New Zealand in 2024.
Laura Gemmell-Sinnott from Hastings will research health policy design in sexual and reproductive health with a focus on Indigenous health equity at Columbia University, New York City, towards a PhD at the University of Otago. Laura graduated with a BHSc from the University of Otago in 2021 and a MHSc (Distinction) in 2023 from Massey University.
Katherine Ellis from Christchurch will research the influence of the mechanical microenvironment on endometriosis behaviour at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Katherine graduated with a BE (Hons First Class) in 2022 from the University of Canterbury, where she is also currently a PhD student.
Fulbright Science and Innovation Graduate Awards Sophie Couper, from Tairāwhiti and Whanganui, will be completing a Master of Public Health at Columbia University in New York City, New York. Sophie graduated from University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) and Bachelor of Medical Science Honours (First class) in 2022. She is currently working at Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Fulbright US Specialist The University of Auckland hosts Carole Carlson from Boston, Massachusetts, who will support the University of Auckland Business School and its initiatives to expand its research in the areas of case-method learning and case writing.
Fulbright US Scholar Eric Palkovacs from Santa Cruz, California will research the recent diversification and ecological role of rainbow trout in Lake Taupō at the University of Auckland. Eric is a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Ian Axford Fellow Kathleen Cochrane from Washington, DC will research “Financing Mechanisms for the Multilateral Development Banks” at the Treasury. Kathleen is Lead Counsel for Oversight and Senior Counsel, General Counsel’s Office for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Treasury in Washington, DC. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Washington, DC in 2003, and obtained her J.D. from Columbia Law School in New York, NY in 2008.
Fulbright US Graduate Award Ellie Fajer from Littleton, Colorado will research how fungal endophytes can help combat kauri dieback in New Zealand at the University of Auckland and Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research. Ellie graduated with a BS in Biology and Earth Systems from Stanford University in 2023, and an MS in Earth Systems in 2024.
Fulbright US Graduate Award Travis Richardson from Peachtree City, Georgia willl research the effects of whakamā, or shame, in shaping the experiences of non-Māori learners and speakers of te reo Māori at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. Travis is a PhD Candidate in Sociolinguistics at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Fulbright US Scholar Award Jesse Abdenour, from Seattle, Washington will produce a documentary film and related research about rugby and concussions at Auckland University of Technology. Jesse is an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon.
Fulbright US Graduate Award Naeisha Ngatuvai-McClain, from Columbus, Georgia, will research the storying of love, care, and home for LGBTQ+/MVPFAFF+ Pasifika communities at the University of Auckland. Naeisha graduated with a BA from Oberlin College, majoring in Sociology and minoring in Africana Studies in 2020, and is currently enrolled as a doctoral student at the University of Pittsburgh.
Fulbright US Graduate Award Bret Hatzinger from Doylestown, Pennsylvania will research Meckel Syndrome, a rare genetic disease found in New Zealand’s sheep, at the University of Otago. Bret graduated with a BS in Biology from Bucknell University in 2024.
Fulbright US Scholar Award Angela Cooke-Jackson, from Los Angeles, California, will research reproductive and sexual health among Māori women and gender minorities through a partnership with the Māori scholars in the CARE Center and the Research Centre for Hauora and Health, at Massey University. Angela is a Professor in the Department of Communication Studies and an affiliate faculty in the Department of Public Health at Cal State, LA in Los Angeles, California.
Fulbright US Graduate Award Emily Lau from Kaimukī, Honolulu, Hawai’i will complete a Master of Indigenous Studies at The University of Auckland. Emily graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Fulbright US Scholar Award Sarah Goff from Amherst, Massachusetts will research health care equity at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington. Sarah is a Professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Policy at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Fulbright US Graduate Award Miah Clark from Iowa City, Iowa will complete a Master of Indigenous Studies with a Pasifika focus at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington. Miah graduated with a BA in English from the University of Iowa in 2023, and an MLIS from the University of Iowa in 2024.
Ian Axford Fellow Paul Holland, from Arlington County, Virginia, will research ‘Strengthening Climate Resilience within the Indo-Pacific: An Analysis of Best Practices within the New Zealand Ministry of Defence to Achieve Resilient Infrastructure.’ while gaining experience at the New Zealand Defence Forces. Paul is a Senior Program Analyst with Leidos, where he supports the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations, and Environment. He graduated with a BA in History from Princeton University, New Jersey, and a MSc in Nature, Society, and Environmental Policy from Oxford University, UK.
Ian Axford Fellow Julie Buchwald, from Santa Monica, California, will provide strategies for enhancing the community engagement strategies currently employed by the Independent Police Conduct Authority, the civilian oversight agency for the New Zealand Police. Julie is a Special Investigator/Community Relations Coordinator with the Office of the Inspector General for the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, which provides civilian oversight for the Los Angeles Police Department. She graduated with a JD from the University of Southern California Law School and a BA in Philosophy and International Studies from Northwestern University in Chicago.