MBIE Science Whitinga Fellowship
The MBIE Science Whitinga Fellowship is aimed at supporting excellent early career researchers impacted by COVID-19 in the New Zealand research science system. This is a one-off initiative and will provide support of around $10 million over two years for 30 Fellows.
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The Fellowship objective
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on world economy and is likely to have long-term adverse impacts on the Research, Science and Innovation workforce. In response to the reduced opportunities experienced by New Zealand early career researchers (ECRs), we are providing this one-off funding opportunity to support the retention and development of ECRs with the potential to excel in a research environment.
The Fellowship intends to support up and coming researchers to rise and establish a career in their chosen field of research. This is captured in the name of the Fellowship ‘Te whitinga mai o te rā,’ which can translate to “the rising of the sun”.
Fellowship description
30 Fellows have been selected for a 2 year Fellowship to undertake research in any field (including the humanities, mātauranga and social science) at a New Zealand host research institution.
The MBIE Science Whitinga Fellowship is administered by the Royal Society Te Apārangi for the New Zealand Government. The final decision on who receives a fellowship has been made by MBIE.
Fellowship Funding
The MBIE Science Whitinga Fellowship will award per annum (excluding GST), for a 2 year term:
- $75,000 towards the researcher’s salary
- $75,000 in organisational overheads
- $10,000 for research-related expenses.
The total value of an MBIE Science Whitinga Fellowship is $320,000 per award.
Recipients
The full list of the MBIE Science Whitinga Fellows:
| Fellow | Subject | Host |
| Dr Sylvia Frain | A Second Sun: The Legacies of Nuclear Imperialisms across Oceania | Auckland University of Technology |
| Dr Tui Matelau-Doherty | The value of positive ethnic and national identities for Māori and Pacific people in New Zealand | Auckland University of Technology |
| Dr Reem Abbas | Enhancing New Zealand’s Response and Resilience to Future Pandemics: Towards A Minimum Dataset for Health Disasters | Auckland University of Technology |
| Dr Greer Gilmer | Southward migration of the westerly wind belt: What is the impact on South Island water resources | GNS Science |
| Dr Leon Salter | Examining the effects of the expansion of gig work on health and wellbeing in a post-pandemic economy | Massey University |
| Dr Mahonri Owen | Semi-Autonomous Brain Controlled Interfaces to Overcome Physical and Nervous system Disorders | Massey University |
| Dr Rebecca Fitzgerald | Forecasting volcanic ballistic projectile hazard from blue sky eruptions at touristic volcanoes | Massey University |
| Dr Rebecca Campbell | High resolution epidemiological models for plant disease prediction and risk management in Aotearoa New Zealand | Plant & Food Research |
| Dr Samantha Heath | Fit for the future: Reimagining nurse preparation for practice in New Zealand’s changing demography | Unitec New Zealand |
| Dr Kris Taylor | 'Boys Talk': Working with boys and young men towards the prevention of gender-based harassment and violence through a series of workshop interventions | The University of Auckland |
| Dr Jennifer Eom | Dissecting the molecular and functional diversity of tumour associated fibroblasts in the tumour microenvironment | The University of Auckland |
| Dr Febelyn Reguyal | NZ electric vehicles: Eco-friendly now, how about in the future? | The University of Auckland |
| Dr Anna Forsyth | Developing neuroimaging biomarkers of drug action for mental health medicines | The University of Auckland |
| Dr Jesse Wiki | Developing a spatial microsimulation model for population health and health policy in Aotearoa New Zealand | The University of Auckland |
| Dr Moeata Keil | ‘It takes a village’: Caring for children in Pacific post-separation families | The University of Auckland |
| Dr Siobhan Tu'akoi | Co-designing a health promotion intervention for sustained rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease prevention in South Auckland Pacific communities | The University of Auckland |
| Dr James Hewett | Deep vein thrombosis: getting to the heart of the problem | University of Canterbury |
| Dr Wei Teng | In the Lay-reader’s Eyes - Reassurance of Translation Quality | University of Canterbury |
| Dr Amba Sepie | Strategies for Decolonisation: Indigenous Knowledges and Regenerative Cultural Design | University of Canterbury |
| Dr Anne Marie Sohler | A New Life at the Bottom of the World: Exploring the Embodied effects of Colonialism in 19th Century Pākehā and Chinese Migrants to New Zealand | University of Otago |
| Dr Xiaolin Cui | Minimally invasive delivery of exosomes for myocardial infarction therapeutics | University of Otago |
| Dr M-Remy Muhsin | Targeting Cryptosporidiosis with Novel Peptoid Therapeutics | University of Otago |
| Dr Paul Brown | Developing Accurate Preventative Crime Models that Reduce Systemic Biases | University of Waikato |
| Dr Jessica Tupou | Culturally responsive early intervention for tamariki Māori with takiwātanga/autism | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Dr Katharina Robichon | Towards personal medicine – Analysis of Receptor abundances in Multiple Sclerosis to determine treatment regime | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Dr Tara McAllister | Transforming how we do science in Aotearoa with mātauranga Māori | |
| Dr Juergen Oesterle | Using cosmogenic radionuclides and fission-track thermochronometry to benchmark human enhanced erosion in a time of rapid climate change | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Dr Matt Majic | Mean path length in optical billiards | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Dr Samuel Crawley | Comparing public opinion on climate change in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia: belief and issue salience | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Dr Julian Mackay | Chainmail: Holistic Specifications for Robust Programs | Victoria University of Wellington |
The recipients meet the diversity targets of the MBIE Science Whitinga Fellowship by funding:
- 8 of 30 Fellows identifying as Māori
- 4 of 30 Fellows identifying as Pacific Peoples
- 18 of 30 Fellows identifying as female
More information
For more information on eligibility and selection process, visit the Royal Society Te Apārangi website.
About the MBIE Science Whitinga Fellowship(external link) — Royal Society Te Apārangi website