Rachael Kneepkens

Rachael Kneepkens from Ōtaki, on the Kapiti Coast, Aotearoa / New Zealand. She is the Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO) for Arahunga Special School, at Ōtaki College.

Rachael will research how we motivate and support disengaged students at secondary school.

“My research has come about from many years of working with students with additional needs, who then become disengaged at school.  I’m really interested in how we can motivate students and in particular how we can establish support within the wider community to keep them in school.”

Mary Bluck

Mary Bluck is a senior kāiako at Te kura O Ngā Puna Waiora / Newtown School in Te Whanganui-a-Tara – Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand. Mary will be investigating how indigenous playground play may be introduced into the classroom to accelerate learning.

“In 2025 I had the opportunity to look at positive play in the playground as part of a Kāhui ako (communities of learning). This led to further questions and ideas around further research in play especially the role in accelerating learning in our English language learners at school.”

Kerwyn Huang

Kerwyn Casey (KC) Huang, from Palo Alto, California, is a Professor of Bioengineering and Microbiology at Stanford University.

Trained in physics and mathematics, his research uses quantitative approaches to study microbial communities, with his Fulbright work at Otago University in Dunedin focusing on how traditional medicines influence the human gut microbiome.

Carolyn Mavretish

Carolyn Mavretish

From New Jersey, Carolyn is studying for a Master of Landscape Architecture at Lincoln University in Christchurch, drawn to land-centred design and sustainable landscape practice in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Carolyn Mavretish

Xin Feng

Xin Feng

Xin Feng from Columbus, Ohio, is a Professor of Human Development and Family Science at The Ohio State University. Her research at Massey University in Palmerston North explores children’s emotional regulation and the development of depression and anxiety across cultural contexts.

Xin Feng

Lili Kuchar

Lili Kuchar

Lili Kuchar is from Berkeley, California. This Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching Research recipient will be based at Victoria University of Wellington, researching literacy practices in highly vulnerable communities. Lili brings 15 years of experience teaching in public elementary schools and currently teaches at a pregnant and parenting teen school in Oakland, California.

Lili Kuchar

Christine Pagen

Dr Christine (Chris) Pagen, from New York, is the 2026 Ian Axford Fellow in Public Policy. A senior development professional with 15 years’ experience at USAID, she has worked across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. During her fellowship, she will be based at New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Wellington, researching international development cooperation.

Stephanie Graham

From New York and Massachusetts, Stephanie Graham is undertaking a Master of Museum and Heritage Practice at Victoria University of Wellington, focusing on how museum education supports K–12 learning.

Julia Mansfield

Julia Mansfield, from New York City will be completing a Master’s in Geology at the University of Otago in Dunedin, where she is researching the Green Island Fault and its seismic risk.

Yitong Tseo

Yitong Tseo is a PhD candidate and bio-artist at MIT whose work explores sustainable materials and bio-fabricated soft robotics inspired by living systems. Yitong will be hosted by the University of Auckland and the Auckland Bioengineering Institute to conduct research on biohybrid robotics.

Sahana Arumani

From Great Falls, Virginia, Sahana is hosted by Massey University in Palmerston North, researching leptospirosis through a One Health lens that connects human, animal, and environmental health, with a focus on prevention and community awareness.

Rachael Kneepkens

Rachael Kneepkens from Ōtaki, on the Kapiti Coast, Aotearoa / New Zealand. She is the Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO) for Arahunga Special School, at Ōtaki College. Rachael will research how we motivate and support disengaged students at secondary school. “My research has come about from many years of working with students with additional needs, who then become disengaged at school.  I’m really interested in how we can motivate students and in particular how we can establish support within the wider community to keep them in school.”

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Mary Bluck

Mary Bluck is a senior kāiako at Te kura O Ngā Puna Waiora / Newtown School in Te Whanganui-a-Tara – Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand. Mary will be investigating how indigenous playground play may be introduced into the classroom to accelerate learning. “In 2025 I had the opportunity to look at positive play in the playground as part of a Kāhui ako (communities of learning). This led to further questions and ideas around further research in play especially the role in accelerating learning in our English language learners at school.”

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