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2018 Fulbright Science and Innovation Graduate Award Grantees Announced.
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND, 18 June, 2018 — Fulbright New Zealand and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment are delighted to announce this year’s recipients of the Fulbright Science and Innovation Graduate Awards. These ten grantees will travel to the US as early as July 2018 for research or study in the United States:
- Andrew Alder from Auckland will complete a Masters of Science in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder in Boulder, Colorado. Andrew graduated with a BA and BE (Hons) Conjoint from the University of Auckland in 2018.
- Cameron Birchall from Auckland will research New Zealand’s markets for natural resource quotas at the University of California, Davis in Davis, California towards a PhD at KU Leuven University in Belgium. Cameron graduated with a BSc from Victoria University of Wellington in 2014, and an MSc from KU Leuven University in Belgium in 2016.
- Lizzie Christmas from Rotorua will complete a Masters in Law specialising in Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at Cornell Tech in New York City, New York. Lizzie graduated with an LLB (Hons) and a BA in Politics from the University of Otago in 2016.
- Francis Hwang from Auckland will complete a Masters of Public Policy specialising in Health and Urban Policy at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Francis graduated with a BE (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Auckland in 2015.
- Natasha Ironside from Nelson will research an automated tool for the analysis of head scans in patients with brain bleeds at Columbia University in New York City, New York towards a BMedSci (Hons) at the University of Auckland. Natasha graduated with an MBChB from the University of Auckland in 2017.
- Guy Jones from Tauranga will complete a Masters of Law specialising in Information Privacy at Columbia University in New York City, New York. Guy graduated with an LLB (Hons) and a BA from the University of Otago in 2013.
- Dingcheng Luo from Christchurch will complete a PhD in Computational Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. Dingcheng graduated with a BE (Hons) in Civil Engineering from the University of Canterbury in 2018.
- Sophie Matthewman from Auckland will complete a Masters of Public Health specialising in Health Policy at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Sophie graduated with a BHSc (Hons) from the University of Auckland in 2016.
- Isabelle Smith from Auckland will complete a Masters of Law specialising in Environmental and Energy Law at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Isabelle graduated with an LLB (Hons First Class) from the University of Canterbury in 2018 and is currently completing a BSc in Geography with an Environmental Science endorsement at the University of Canterbury.
- Paris Watson from Wellington will complete a PhD specialising in Biological Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Paris graduated with a BBMedSc (Hons) in Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology from Victoria University of Wellington in 2018.
The Fulbright Science and Innovation Graduate Awards are for promising New Zealand graduate students to undertake postgraduate study or research at US institutions in fields related to science and innovation. The awards are available to support New Zealand’s economic, social, environmental and cultural needs, and to build international science connections.
“Science systems do not flourish in isolation and international connection is key to ensuring that New Zealand’s system continues to deliver excellent, high impact research for the benefit of New Zealand,” says Dr Prue Williams, MBIE General Manager Science System Investment & Performance.
“The United States and New Zealand share a long history of productive and mutually beneficial cooperation in science and innovation, and exchanges like those supported through Fulbright scholarships offer the opportunity to leverage our respective knowledge and resources to advance important areas of research. We are impressed by the calibre of the people that receive Fulbright awards and wish recipients all the very best for their studies.”
Fulbright New Zealand Graduate Awards can be used towards a Masters or PhD programme, or grantees can participate as a Visiting Student Researcher (VSR). A VSR allows grantees to spend between 6-12 months studying or researching a topic or proposed project in the US, usually as part of a degree programme within New Zealand.
Due to the recent funding increase from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and other partners like MBIE, there are new levels for all New Zealand Graduate and Scholar Awards going forward. Applications for all New Zealand Graduate Awards, including the Fulbright Science and Innovation Awards, are due 1 August.
For more information, please contact Fulbright New Zealand Communications Manager Rachel Tilghman on Ph. 04 494 1507. ENDS.
About Fulbright New Zealand
Fulbright New Zealand opens doors for tomorrow’s leaders and thinkers through life-changing educational and cultural exchanges between New Zealand and the United States. The Fulbright Forum is a speaker series aimed at addressing topical areas of research that affect our world.
Fulbright New Zealand was established in 1948 to promote mutual understanding through educational and cultural exchanges between New Zealand and the United States of America. The Fulbright programme offers a range of prestigious awards for New Zealand and American graduate students, academics, artists and professionals to study, research and teach in each other’s countries. Fulbright New Zealand offers exchange awards annually. More than 3,000 people have benefited from a Fulbright exchange between New Zealand and the United States to date. The programme is jointly funded by the US and New Zealand governments with additional funding from award sponsors, private philanthropists and alumni donors. More information is available here.
About the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE)
MBIE’s purpose is to Grow New Zealand for all. ‘Grow’ relates to the economy. To achieve the standard of living and quality of life we aspire to, we need a better-performing economy that delivers sustainable growth. ‘For all’ captures growth for New Zealanders now and in the future – growth that doesn’t compromise our environment or the safety of our workplaces. Achieving this will mean New Zealanders have higher standards of living, higher incomes, greater job opportunities and good quality, affordable housing.