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.
Approximately seven awards are granted annually, valued at up to US$50,000 (plus NZ$4,000 travel funding) for up to one year of study or research in the US. Students undertaking multi-year Masters or PhD degrees have the opportunity to apply for additional funding of up to US$40,000 towards their second year of study.
These awards are offered in partnership with the Science and Innovation group of the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE), the lead agency driving the science and innovation sector in New Zealand.
The awards are available in fields of science and innovation targeted to support New Zealand’s economic, social, environmental and cultural needs, and to build international science connections. This includes, but it is not limited to, science research of the highest quality; areas with relevance to current and emerging New Zealand industry, social and environmental needs; areas with potential to broaden the economy and increase connections between research and industries; sectors of future need or growth; areas supporting Vision Matauranga – unlocking the science and innovation potential of Māori knowledge, resources and people.
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. This can be an attractive option for those pursuing a graduate degree at a New Zealand institution, when research in the US would supplement or aid their programme. A VSR does not require full graduate school admission into a US institution, and instead requires a letter of invitation from a host institution.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.