Over $400k awarded to William Georgetti scholars

The prestigious William Georgetti scholarship for postgraduate study has this year awarded over $400,000 to eight recent graduates from New Zealand universities.

The scholarship aims to create opportunities for the “best brains” to undertake postgraduate study and research in a field that is important to New Zealand’s social, cultural or economic development.

In making the announcement, Professor Lucy Johnston, the Chair of the selection panel, says the panel was impressed by the academic calibre and commitment to New Zealand’s future demonstrated by all eight scholars.

Joshua Brian from Victoria University of Wellington has been awarded $20,000 over two years to complete his Master of Science at Victoria’s School of Biological Sciences.  He will focus on coral reef research to prevent bleaching and aid coral survival in the face of climate change.  Josh has a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology, both from Victoria.

David Bullock has been awarded $38,000 for one year towards his Masters of Law at Yale University in the USA.  He holds a LLB(Hons)/BCom in Economics, from Victoria University.  He is a former Judges Clerk to the Chief Justice and is currently a solicitor at LeeSalmonLong, a specialist litigation firm in Auckland. After Yale David hopes to encourage international debate in environmental law.

Sam Hall-McMaster from the University of Otago has been awarded $156,000 over three years to study towards a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the Experimental Psychology Department at Oxford.  He will study goal-directed behaviour and how resilience contributes to overcoming goal-related setbacks.  He has a BSc(Hons) from Otago.

Bree Huntley has been awarded $69,000 for one year to study a Master of Law at Harvard University in the USA, specialising in administrative and constitutional law.  She is interested in the reform of New Zealand’s public law related to delegated legislation.  Bree has a BA/LLB(Hons), from the University of Auckland.  She previously worked as a Judges Clerk to the Chief Justice and is currently a barrister with Thorndon Chambers in Wellington.

Matt Hutchinson has been awarded $35,000 over three years to study towards his PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University in the USA.  He will focus on quantifying the whole-community network and the implications for ecological stability.  Matt has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Canterbury.

Alice Osman has been awarded $61,000 for one year to study a Masters of Law at Harvard University in the USA.  She will focus on New Zealand’s class action regime as a way to improve access to justice and minimise the disadvantage faced by lay litigants.  Alice has a BA/LLB(Hons) from the University of Otago.  She was a Judges Clerk in the High Court before becoming a junior barrister with Stout Street Chambers in Wellington.

Emily Sutton has been awarded $10,000 towards the initial costs of her PhD in English at the University of California, Berkeley.  She will study gay male, urban history through the novel.  Emily is currently an Editor with the Ministry of Social Development.  She has a BA(Hons) and an MA from Victoria University. 

Jeremy Watson has been awarded $16,500 over three years to support his PhD in Engineering at Cambridge.   His goal is to reduce society’s dependence on fossils fuels, improve the reliability and efficiency of the power system and enhance customers’ quality of life though advanced technology. Jeremy has a Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours and a Bachelor of Engineering with First Class Honours in Electrical Engineering specialising in power systems and power electronics, both from Canterbury.  

The amount awarded to each scholar varies reflecting the cost and length of their programme, their study destination, as well as other scholarship funding available to them.

Further information about the William Georgetti Scholarship is available at http://www.universitiesnz.ac.nz/scholarships/williamgeorgetti