Fulbright New Zealand is thrilled to announce the 2025 cohort of US Scholars, Graduates, and Specialists.

Fulbright New Zealand Executive Director, Penelope Borland, says the latest group of US grantees travelling to Aotearoa is testament to a deeply held, shared commitment to the betterment of our world.

“Year after year we welcome another incredibly impressive cohort of graduates and scholars from the United States to Aotearoa, and every year an equally talented group of New Zealanders head off in the other direction. I am always stunned by the range of backgrounds and disciplines those grantees represent. And this year is no exception, with research interest spanning everything from concussion awareness to Kauri dieback disease,” said Penelope Borland.

Established in the US in 1946, the Fulbright programme is one of the largest and most significant educational exchanges of scholars in the world. Fostering academic excellence and people to people connection, the Fulbright Programme seeks to bring a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs.

In 2025, Aotearoa will host six US Graduates, four US Scholars, and four Fulbright Specialists.

The full list of award recipients is as follows.

US Scholar Award

Fulbright US Scholar Awards are for American academics, artists or professionals to lecture and/or conduct research at New Zealand institutions.

• Jesse Abdenour, from Seattle, Washington will produce a documentary film and related research about rugby and concussions at Auckland University of Technology.
• 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.
• Sarah Goff, from Amherst, Massachusetts, will research health care equity at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington.
• 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.

US Graduate Award

Fulbright US Graduate Awards are for promising American graduate students to undertake postgraduate study or research at New Zealand institutions in any field.

• 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.
• Elinor (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.
• Bret Hatzinger from Doylestown, Pennsylvania will research Meckel Syndrome, a rare genetic disease found in New Zealand’s sheep, at the University of Otago.
• Emily Lau from Kaimukī, Honolulu, Hawai'i will complete a Master of Indigenous Studies at The University of Auckland.
• Naeisha (Nae) McClain, originally from New Haven, Connecticut, will work on a project titled ‘Stand Firm And The Waves Will Break: A Storying of Queer and/or Non-Binary Oceanic Peoples’ at the University of Auckland.
• Travis Richardson from Peachtree City, Georgia will 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.

Fulbright Specialists

The Fulbright Specialist Awards are for New Zealand institutions to host US academics, artists, or professionals for two- to six-week programmes of activities, including lectures, seminars, workshops, conferences, and symposiums.

• The University of Auckland hosts Mapuana Antonio, from Honolulu, Hawaii, who will work with 2021 Fulbright NZ Graduate Awardee Dr Ashlea Gillon to develop, plan, and implement a multi-day symposium geared towards Indigenous students, postgraduates, and early career professionals.
• 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.
• Auckland University of Technology (AUT) hosts Cindy Roat, from Seattle, Washington, who will work with 2014 Fulbright NZ Scholar Awardee Ineke Crezee on a project to establish bicultural and bilingual navigator training programs at AUT and enable dialogue with primary health organisations in Northland.
• The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) hosts Ben Wildavsky, from Chevy Chase, Maryland, to give lectures and seminars for NZ tertiary education leaders.

Note: Joining our Fulbright US Scholars, Graduates and Specialists are three previously announced Ian Axford Fellows. Fulbright New Zealand administers the Ian Axford Fellowships in Public Policy on behalf of the Ian Axford Fellowship Board.

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