Congratulations to 2014 Woolf Fisher Scholars

Universities New Zealand warmly congratulates Nelson Lam, Athene Laws and Rory Little who been have awarded prestigious Woolf Fisher Trust Scholarships to study for their doctorate at the University of Cambridge worth around $300,000 each.

Sir Woolf Fisher (1912-1975), co-founder of Fisher and Paykel, set up his Trust in 1960 to recognise and reward excellence in education. The Scholarship selects young New Zealanders for their outstanding academic ability and leadership potential as well as their integrity, vision and capacity for work.

This year scholarships have been awarded to:

Nelson Lam, aged 22, studied at Auckland's St Kentigern College and is currently studying towards his BSc Honours in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Auckland. His PhD research topic with Cambridge University's Department of Chemistry will be catalyst-directed, programmable molecular assembly as a new paradigm for constructing chivosazoles and related natural products with potent anti-cancer activity.

Athene Laws, aged 20, studied at Auckland's St Cuthbert's College and is currently studying for her BA Honours in Economics at Victoria University of Wellington. For her PhD she will study work incentives in welfare design looking at poverty alleviation and equity efficient trade-offs with the Faculty of Economics

Rory Little, aged 22, studied at Wellington's Rongotai College and is currently studying towards his MSc in Biotechnology at Victoria University of Wellington. He will study the development of novel clathiromycin structural analogues through polyketide synthase engineering with the Department of Biochemistry.

Universities New Zealand also acknowledges the work of the Trust, and their investment in young New Zealanders and in academic research and innovation.

The Scholarships Committee of Universities New Zealand - Te Pōkai Tara administers a wide range of nationally available undergraduate and postgraduate awards.

Photo caption: Chairman of the Woolf Fisher Trust Sir Noel Robinson with the three scholars (L-R) Rory Little and Athene Laws, (both from Victoria University of Wellington),and Nelson Lam (from the University of Auckland).