Catherine Abou-Nemeh is a historian of science, with a focus on Europe, 1500-1750. Her work explores the histories of science, knowledge, and ignorance, particularly the relationship between empirical and natural philosophical traditions in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe. She has published research articles in leading academic journals, such as History of Science and Isis, and in edited volumes, including Science and the Shaping of Modernity (Springer, 2024), Reading Newton in Early Modern Europe (Brill, 2017) and The Life Sciences in Early Modern Philosophy (Oxford UP, 2014). She is currently completing an intellectual biography of the Dutch lens-maker and natural philosopher Nicolas Hartsoeker (1656–1725).

Prior to joining Victoria University of Wellington in 2013, Catherine taught in the Department of History at Princeton University. She has also held visiting research fellowships at the École Normale Supérieure, Paris (2008–2009); the Scaliger Institute, Leiden University (2009); and the Edward Worth Library in Dublin (2011). In 2012, She was Dibner Research Fellow in the History of Science and Technology at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. In 2016 she was a Visiting Scholar in the History Department at Harvard University. She has presented her research at universities around the world, including Princeton, Harvard, Caltech, Johns Hopkins, Cambridge, Oxford, Sydney, Queensland, Auckland and Otago. 

My research explores the behavioural dimensions of climate change and sustainability, grounded in environmental psychology. This field focuses on the relationships between people and the natural and urban environment. I apply psychological theories to better understand the drivers of pro-environmental behaviour, such as attitudes, social norms, and connectedness to nature.

My primary focus is on the effectiveness of behaviour change interventions (such as the provision of information, commitment making, feedback provision) to encourage the adoption of pro-environmental behaviours. My first book, entitled “Encouraging pro-environmental behaviour: What works, what doesn’t, and why?” (Elsevier Academic Press) delves into this topic. I am currently working on my second book, a textbook in environmental psychology. 

Current Research Projects

Social Influence and Behaviour Change
Our behaviour is often guided by what other people think and do; this is referred to as social influence. Insights from theories of social influence are increasingly being used to help inform interventions to encourage behaviour change, such as social norms and social comparison. My research explores questions such as: How effective is social influence? Under which conditions is it (most) effective? Does it ever backfire?

Climate change misinformation 

This cross-disciplinary research brings together academics from climate science, political science, education, and environmental psychology. As a team, we focus on debunking climate misinformation. 

How will people adapt to climate change? 
This research is part of the Endeavour-funded project Te Ao Hurihuri: Te Ao Hou – Our Changing Coast. I am part of the social science team and I work on topics like public perception of sea level rise, how people can adapt to climate change, and how people cope with climate anxiety. 

Anna Adcock (Ngāti Mutunga) is a social researcher with a Master’s degree in sociology from Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington. With this background in sociology, she brings experience in qualitative methods and social theory to the team.

Anna does Kaupapa Māori (by Māori, for Māori) sexual/reproductive and family health research that centres the lived experiences and perspectives of whānau Māori (Māori family collectives). She is passionate about health equity, data sovereignty, research ethics, and whānau.

Anna’s doctoral thesis was a qualitative longitudinal research study exploring whānau Māori experiences of preterm birth. Other maternal/infant health research Anna is involved in is looking at post-natal support for whānau and infant neurodevelopmental support for whānau impacted by methamphetamine. She is also currently working on a body of research, He Tapu Te Whare Tangata (the sacred house of humanity), to inform the National Cervical Screening Programme.

I am an Anthropologist and Science and Technology Studies (STS) scholar. I am an editor of Science, Technology, & Human Values. 

My work sits between Anthropology and Science and Technology Studies (STS) and uses ethnographic and other qualitative methods. I am interested broadly in the social fabric of science and medicine: how people realise their social commitments, become imbricated in power relations, and create meaning through scientific practice.

Topically, my research has examined the place of genetics and genomics in society, how people convey and interpret health information, and more recently, the use of toxins in conservation. My current Marsden Fast Start focuses on the multispecies politics of 1080 toxin use in Aotearoa, investigating how scientific research shapes toxins use, how different people arrive at different perspectives on 1080, and the wider multispecies relations at stake in conservation.

I completed my PhD at the University of Copenhagen, where, as part of the interdisciplinary Consortium for Designer Organisms, I carried out ethnographic research on the social and ethical dimensions of gene therapy. Prior to this I received degrees in Anthropology (Masters, BA (Hons), BA) and Writing Studies (BA) from the University of Auckland.

Supervision
I welcome enquiries from prospective Masters and PhD students with interests in Science and Technology Studies (STS) and medical and environmental anthropology. While I am open to all enquiries aligned with my interests, I am currently particularly keen to support student research on:
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalopathy: Patients' experiences and/or knowledge production around CFS/ME
- Human/Dog/Kiwi relations
- Local hunting cultures
Students who are interested in working on one of these topics should get in touch to discuss what these projects might look like. Students who already have a topic in mind should send through a research proposal so that I can gauge whether that is something I can supervise.

I am a senior lecturer in statistics and data science in the School of Mathematic and Statistics at Victoria University of Wellington.  I received my Ph.D. in 2009 from the University of Washington (Seattle, USA) and lectured at Murdoch University before joining Victoria University of Wellington in 2019.  

I am an urban planner with research interests in regulatory planning, community development planning, place and placemaking, and cultural and creative cities. I primarily use mix methods to explore complex interrelations between between people and place, built environment and regulatory systems. My current projects focus on land use planning and flood risk management research.

Tālofa lava, Mālō le soifua maua ma le lagi e mamā,

Toaga is from the villages of Sale'aula, Sato'alepai, Falelima, Neiafu, Faleula, Sataua and Saleufi. Toaga holds an orator title Leaula from Sale'aula where she spent most of her upbringing and childhood years. Toaga is a Victoria University alumni, graduated with a BA in Development Studies, Pacific Studies, Samoan Studies, BAHons in Pacific Studies, MICAT (Master of Intercultural Communication and Applied Translation) and currently a PhD candidate in Literary Translation Studies. 

Toaga works within Va'aomanū Pasifika a programme that is a part of the School of Languages and Cultures. Va'aomanū Pasifika is dedicated to educating students in Matā'upu Tau Sāmoa (Samoan Studies) and Pacific Studies. Toaga has served as a tutor for Pacific Studies and Matā'upu Tau Sāmoa, Teaching Fellow for Matā'upu Tau Sāmoa, Advanced Language Expert for Samoan in LANG 401 and currently a Lecturer in Matā'upu Tau Sāmoa. Within the School of Languages and Cultures, Toaga is the Māori and Pasifika Student Liaison and committee member for the Learning and Teaching Equity Committee. These roles outside of teaching has created opportunities to work closely FHSS in confirming the School of Languages and Cultures course outlines and discussions around teaching at university in general, collaboration with Pasifika Student Advisers and Pasifika Pillars at VUW.

Toaga has worked on collaborative projects with colleagues from the School of Linguistics and Applied Languages and research projects overseas which has opened up many opportunities as a research assistant, co-author for journal article(s), co-author for book chapter(s) and co-presenter at conferences and a panelist for The 2024 Jean Anderson Annual Lecture in Literary Translation. Toaga co-presented with Sasha Calhoun on “The prosody of Heritage Language Samoan: How individual experiences shape the linguistic repertoire" at the New Zealand Linguistics Society Conference at the University of Canterbury in December 2024. Toaga is currently part of an international research team with colleagues from University of Potsdam Germany and Te Herenga Waka, studying an investigation into the impact of social priming on phoneme perception among first language (L1) speakers of Samoan. Researching on the gagana Sāmoa and aganu'u Sāmoa from different disciplines is fundamental in shaping my understanding of my fa'asinomaga (identity). 

Every year, an annual So'otaga conference for Tertiary Samoan Student Associations is either hosted by Otago University, Canterbury University, Victoria University, Waikato University, University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology. As Toaga is a VUSSA alumni, Toaga works closely with VUSSA (Victorial University Samoan Student Association) as a cultural and academic adviser; Toaga facilitated cultural workshops which focused on cultural aspects of Fa'asāmoa that aligns with what each representative from an association must carry out at So'otaga (eg. sula toga, lāuga, folafola sua etc). In 2025, Toaga served as one of the academic judges for the So'otaga conference. 

Within the community, Toaga has helped secondary schools who reach out for tutoring and choreography for their cultural performances, translation and cultural mentoring for MFAT with Uni Professionals when needed. 

Mahnaz Aliyar is a researcher and lecturer in applied linguistics with expertise in second language acquisition, psycholinguistics, and vocabulary learning. Her research explores how learners acquire vocabulary from authentic materials, with a particular focus on the roles of multimodal support  and different input modalities in vocabulary learning. She is also interested in research methods, and quantitative data analysis. Mahnaz is committed to creating inclusive, evidence-based learning environments that support student engagement and success.

Barbara is Head of School & Associate Professor in Public Management and Policy at the School of Government. She is an international expert in public procurement and public contracting, with sub-specialties in performance and digital government. She was a Canadian Air Force Officer in Logistics, and graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada.

Barbara researches vexing questions around public spending, public procurement, performance improvement and digital transformation. Previous to her role at the Victoria University of Wellington - Te Herenga Waka School of Government, Barbara held academic roles at the University of Nottingham, School of Sociology and Social Policy, the Institute of Public Management and Governance, Warwick Business School, and the Institute of Local Government Studies at the University of Birmingham. 

Barbara has been involved in a wide array of research programmes spanning current public policy and management problems with recent publications in the Journal of Public Procurement on New Zealand public procurement, the Australian Journal of Public Administration on performance improvement, Government Information Quarterly on smart cities and in the European Procurement & Public Private Partnership Law Review on SMEs and procurement.

Throughout her time in the UK (2005-2015) Barbara developed considerable expertise in public services commissioning, providing policy and implementation projects to a wide range of organisations. At Birmingham, Barbara was lead researcher and subsequently co-director of a large centrally funded programme, the Evaluation of the Local Government Procurement Agenda 2005 -2009.

Barbara is often asked to speak as an invited expert - for example the Auditor’s General launch of their review of public procurement, at the Trans-Tasman Business Circle, the GovProcure conference and was a member of the reference panel on Commissioning and Contracting for the Australian Public Services Review. Previously Barbara has spoken to the OECD on electronic procurement, advised Sanofi Pasteur on strategic vaccine procurement, and presented research on African SME supplier relationships with government in Uganda.

Barbara  is interested in potential PhD students who want to pursue topics related to procurement and supply, performance and digital procurement including AI.

Other service roles:

• Wellington School of Business and Government representative to the Victoria University Academic Board
• Member of the Australia New Zealand School of Government (ANZOG) Research Committee
• Wellington School of Business and Government (WSBG) Bachelor of Commerce Refresh Committee
• WSBG Bachelor of Commerce Curriculum Advisory Committee
• WSBG (School of Government) School Research Committee
• Professional Programmes Board of Studies
• Institute of Public Administration of New Zealand 'Public Sector' journal advisory committee
• Associate Editor the Journal of Public Procurement
• Active peer reviewer for numerous journals including Editorial Board for Australian Journal of Public Administration
• recent Chair of the executive committee, Wellington chapter of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply 
• Australian Procurement and Construction Council - Procurement and Contracting Network
  
  Barbara was a Captain in Air Logistics in the Canadian Armed Forces for 10 years. She attended the prestigious Royal Military College of Canada where she completed her undergraduate degree in Politics and History.

Originally trained in Environmental Sciences I have a PhD in Urban Planning and Policy Sciences from the University of Tsukuba, Japan (2005). I am passionate about greening, urban forests, the use of public spaces and urban and planning history. Increasingly my interests have aligned with those ecosystemic urbanism and its call to see the city as analogous to an ecosystem.  

My research explores the relationship between ice and climate over a range of timescales. Measuring and understanding present-day processes allows us to build mathematical models of glacier systems. Using these models, we can explore the climate that resulted in geological records of past glacier extents in the landscape, which helps to understand the mechanics of the global climate system, and also puts present-day climatic changes into context. These glacier models are also used to make projections of what may happen to glaciers in the future, depending on the trajectory of greehouse-gas emissions.

Part of this work involves the long-term monitoring of glaciers, and I am involved with field projects at several glaciers in the Southern Alps - Haupapa/Tasman Glacier, Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere/Franz Josef Glacier, Te Moeka o Tuawe/Fox Glacier, Brewster Glacier, and Rolleston Glacier.

I am a Lecturer in Workplace Health and Safety at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. My academic practice is grounded in employment relations and public policy, and is defined by a strong commitment to socially engaged, critical scholarship that interrogates how workplace systems, regulatory frameworks, and labour market dynamics produce risk, inequality, and harm. I work at the intersection of research, teaching, and public engagement, with a focus on contributing to policy debate, professional practice, and the development of more effective and equitable workplace systems. 

Gordon is an Emeritus Professor. His primary research focus is labour law on which he has written extensively. His publications have focussed on the extensive reforms to New Zealand employment law that began in the 1970s and particularly the reforms of 1991 and 2000 and the continuing evolution of the law. Other principal areas of his research have been the law of personal grievances and the development of good faith in employment law.

Gordon has served as the Asian Vice-President of the International Society for Labour and Social Security Law and is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Labour Law Research network and was President of the New Zealand Labour Law Society for several years. Gordon has practiced as a barrister and has represented clients in the various employment institutions and the courts and has provided advice to various union and the CTU on various aspects of labour law reform. He was Chair of the Ministerial Taskforce to review the Holidays Act.

Gordon has also taught and written on international trade law and in particular New Zealand’s trade agreements at both a multilateral and bilateral level.

Current Research:
Gordon's current research interests include: a comparative study of the contract of employment; personal grievance law; the worker protection index, a multinational project that looks at the regulation of employment across a variety of countries; the interface between employment law and human resource management; and reforms to health and safety law.

Physical activity and sport are an essential part of our wellbeing and development across all stages of the lifespan.

Māori (Ngati Ruanui) from Petone ventured across the world to pursue her dreams. Graduating with her PhD from the University of Delaware (USA), Lara has returned home and is now the Co-Director of Te Hau Kori – Centre for Physical Activity and Wellbeing. Lara provides strategic leadership Māori for the design and development of the Centre's new teaching and learning programmes. Lara works closely with Sport New Zealand to support future-focused workforce development opportunities in Physical Activity, Sport, Play, Hauora and Wellbeing.

On the diamond, Lara (Captain) has earned 107 international caps for the NZ White Sox with 186 total games. She also captained the University of Delaware (USA) Division 1 Softball team and became the 1st NZ female to play Professional in the United States (Pittsburgh). Lara is passionate about designing and developing youth programmes to help mentor and inspire youth to build confidence, self esteem and skill development while creating a pathway to higher education through sport.