Dr Bella Duncan, Associate Professor Lara Greaves, and Dr Luke Fitzmaurice-Brown have been recognised in the 2024 Research Honours, presented by the Royal Society Te Apārangi.
The annual awards recognise research excellence.
Professor Margaret Hyland, deputy vice-chancellor, research, congratulated the recipients on their success.
“The awards recognise three outstanding early career researchers. The work by Bella, Lara, and Luke exemplifies the University’s commitment to excellent research. We’re particularly proud of the positive impact of their research, identifying sustainable solutions to real-world problems while working closely with the community. On behalf of the University, I warmly congratulate them,” said Margaret.
About the 2024 recipients
Dr Bella Duncan: Bella receives the 2024 Hamilton Award, given to encourage early-career researchers undertaking scientific research. The award recognises Bella’s work investigating how ocean temperatures in Antarctica have changed over 45 million years.
This research paints a stark picture of what the West Antarctic Ice Sheet looks like with increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), indicating that when CO2 levels were similar to those projected for the coming century, there was substantial melt of the ice sheet.
Associate Professor Lara Greaves: Lara (Ngapuhi, Pakeha, Tarara) has been awarded the Early Career Research Excellence Award for Social Sciences for her work using large datasets to explore the relationships between Māori identity, social wellbeing, and health.
The Royal Society says Lara’s work, which spans political science and social psychology, has been “an important source in informing public policy and reshaping public understanding of the experiences of Māori in our society”.
Dr Luke Fitzmaurice-Brown: Luke (Te Aupōuri) has been awarded the Early Career Research Excellence Award for Humanities for his work on decolonising the child protection system in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Luke wins the award for his paper “Te Rito o Te Harakeke: Decolonising child protection law in Aotearoa New Zealand”, which presents a roadmap to reform of the child protection system, based on six tikanga Māori principles that could be used to decolonise the system.