Research Associates
Associate Professor Tom Baker
The politics of policy
t.baker@auckland.ac.nz
Tom is a Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at the School of Environment at the University of Auckland. Tom is Associate Editor of the International Journal of Housing Policy elected Councillor of Royal Society Te Apārangi and committee member of its Early Career Researcher Forum. Tom’s research focuses on how public policies are made and implemented- how this is fundamentally a political process where the definitions of problem, solution, efficient and effective are made, contested and put to work in the world. His research pays attention to the social, institutional, ideological and spatial dimensions around the politics of policy and are explored through empirical research on policies and practices in a range of domains, including homelessness, housing, social security, and drug treatment.
Laura Bea
Policy engagement, evidence to policy, engaging policymakers
UPEN Head of Membership and Network Development | SCDTP ESRC PhD Student at the University of Southampton. Currently the Network Manager for the Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN), Co-Chair and co-creator of the Arts and Humanities Sub-Committee, and Co-Chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Sub-Committee (UPEN). Former Specialist Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy Officer for Public Policy | Southampton. I am an SCDTP ESRC 1+3 PhD student, exploring the role of fiction and poetry as forms of evidence within Public Policy.
Dr. Jess Berentson-Shaw
Population wellbeing, evidence and policy
jess@theworkshop.org.nz
Jess is a public narrative researcher and advisor, working in roles across government and the not for profit sectors, she has focused on placing the best knowledge and equity at the heart of decision-making. Since 2017 Jess has been researching and implementing narrative strategies that engage, deepen people’s thinking, and improve decision-making with regard to our big social and environmental challenges. Jess is the author of A Matter of Fact. Talking Truth in a Post-truth World (2018).
Dr. Subeh Chowdhury
Gender, transport planning and design
s.chowdhury@auckland.ac.nz
Subeh Chowdhury is an internationally recognized research expert specializing in sustainable multi-modal systems and gender-sensitive design. Currently, she serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the School of Engineering, University of Auckland. With over a decade of academic experience, she has established herself as a leading figure in the field of transport planning and design. Before transitioning to academia as a faculty member in 2014, Subeh gained valuable industry experience working for two prominent engineering consultancy firms, Opus and Beca, for a combined period of three years. During this time, she contributed to various transport infrastructure projects, refining her expertise in integrated transport solutions. Her background in both industry and academia uniquely positions her to bridge the gap between theoretical research and practical application.
Lincoln Dam
Multiculturalism and Biculturalism
lincoln.dam@auckland.ac.nz
Lincoln is currently a Professional Teaching Fellow in Te Puna Wānanga (the School of Māori and Indigenous Education) at the Faculty of Education and Social Work, and a Research Associate at the Public Policy Institute. Lincoln’s current research explores the ethics and politics of Im/migrant-Indigenous relations in Aotearoa-New Zealand. More specifically, he is interested in the relationships between Asians in Aotearoa-New Zealand, tangata whenua and Te Tiriti o Waitangi; and possibilities for the simultaneous pursuit and co-existence of biculturalism and multiculturalism in Aotearoa-New Zealand.
Christian Dietrich
Trade policy, SMOs, FTA implementation strategy
christian.dietrich@auckland.ac.nz
Christian is an Associate Researcher at the Public Policy Institute at the University of Auckland. His research examines how government policies influence the internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises, with a particular focus on the impact of trade policies on firms’ market entry strategies, operational structures, and resource allocation. In addition to his academic work, Christian has contributed to several external projects. He has supported the European External Action Service (EEAS) in the implementation of the New Zealand–European Union Free Trade Agreement and currently serves on the Domestic Advisory Group for the agreement, advising the New Zealand government on implementation strategies. He has also worked on several projects for the World Bank, the German–New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, and the New Zealand Europe Business Council.
Dr Kiri Edge
Education, Health, Indigenous Development, Kaupapa Māori Research, Psychology / Mental Health
kiriedge@gmail.com
Kiri is a Research Associate at the Public Policy Institute (the University of Auckland) and at the School of Psychology, the University of Waikato. Kiri’s research focuses on Indigenous health and wellbeing, cultural connectivity, community development and sexual and relational ethics. Kiri specialises in studies centres on education, health, Indigenous development, Kaupapa Māori research, psychology and mental health and Tikanga Māori customs.
Noemi Evrard
Gender and intersectional budgeting
PhD Candidate in Gender and intersectional budgeting in Belgium and the European Union at UCLouvain
Dr. Adrian Field
Public health, transport and urban environments
adrian@dovetailnz.com
Adrian is an experienced researcher, evaluator and facilitator. Adrian is an honorary academic at the School of Population Health (University of Auckland). He operates as an independent evaluation practitioner through his company, Dovetail, while researching in health systems, urban form, road safety and active transport and the community sector. Adrian specialises in programme evaluation, qualitative and quantitative research, stakeholder engagement, data visualisation, and performance monitoring.
Eilala Fihaki
Climate change, adaptation, environmental governance
efihaki@gmail.com
Eliana has worked in policy and strategy development, legislation review, institutional strengthening, stakeholder analysis and research. Eilala works with Tearfund New Zealand as Senior Programme Specialist and is a PhD candidate with the University of the South Pacific. Her current research focuses on climate adaptation.
Dr. Celestyna Galicki
Comparative Policy Anlaysis, Youth Representation, Financial Literacy
cgal034@aucklanduni.ac.nz
Celestyna has worked as a research analyst at the Commission for Financial Capability and the Public Policy Institute (the University of Auckland). Celestyna is currently an evaluation and research lead for a wide range of projects across the Auckland Council. Celestyna’s research has focused on supporting and informing retirement policy development, the financial capability of New Zealanders and electoral management.
Associate Professor Luke Goode
Critical Future studies, communication and policy
l.goode@auckland.ac.nz
Luke is an Associate Professor at the School of Cultures, Language and Linguistics. Luke’s research focuses on new media and communication technologies, and the opportunities and risks these open up for society and individuals. In particular, his research focuses work explores the implications of new technologies for the public sphere and is currently focused on popular debates around the future of artificial intelligence.
Associate Professor Anna Hood
Law, gender and sexuality, international law, migration
a.hood@auckland.ac.nz
Anna is an associate professor at the Auckland Faculty of Law. She is a public international law academic whose research focuses primarily on international disarmament law, international law and security and international law in Aotearoa New Zealand. Outside of her international legal work, Anna also has a keen research interest in the role of law schools and universities in 21st century democracies as well as gender issues in the legal profession. In addition to her academic teaching and research activities, Anna provides pro bono international legal advice to a range of civil society organisations and governments. In August 2022, she was the civil society participant in the New Zealand delegation to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York and from 2018-2022 she was the Vice President of the Australia New Zealand Society of International Law.
Associate Professor Alistair Jones
Sustainability, mobility and urban life
A.Jones13@exeter.ac.uk
Alistair is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Geography and the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter, developing the online MSc Global Sustainability Solutions (GSS). Alistair is also a Visiting Lecturer at the RCA’s School of Architecture. Alistair’s research is interdisciplinary, specialising in urban studies, sustainable urbanism and programme evaluation. His research focuses on sustainable living practices, public space, and the urban mobility-public health nexus, seeking to generate insights into critical questions concerning urban planning, urban public space, and public policy programmes.
Associate Professor Serkan Köybaşı
Climate constitutionalism, human-animal relations, animal liberation
serkan.koybasi@bau.edu.tr
Serkan Köybaşı graduated from Galatasaray High School and then Galatasaray University Law School, Istanbul. He holds a Master of Law degree from the same university’s Social Science Institut with a thesis on “parliamentary inquiry commissions”. He defended the thesis “The Theory of Immutable Articles in Constitutions” to get his PhD from the same institution. Since 2014, he has been working as an assistant professor at Bahçeşehir University Law School in Istanbul, where he serves as the head of the Legal Philosophy and Sociology Department. His courses include General Principles of Constitutional Law, Turkish Constitutional Law, Animal Rights, Individual Application to the Constitutional Court and Rule of Law. He visited Basel University Department of Arts, Media and Philosophy in 2018 as a guest researcher on animal rights. He published two academic articles on “the recognition of animals as constitutional right holders” based on this research. He argued in these articles that, according to the principle of equal consideration, not recognizing animals’ right to life, right to be free of torture, and right to be free is discrimination not different from racism or misogyny. Mr Köybaşı is the founding director of the Animal and Nature Rights Laboratory, which started operating in January 2022 at the Bahçeşehir University Law School. Currently, he is working on green constitutionalism. His book “Green Constitutionalism to Tackle Climate Change” was published in September 2023.
Dr. Steffen Lippert
Climate cooperation, innovation and collective decision-making
s.lippert@auckland.ac.nz
Steffen is the Deputy Head of Department of Economics, at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Business and Economics. His research focuses on Industrial Economics, the Economics of Innovation, and the Economics of Social Interaction and Networks. Steffen is a co-founder of the Research Network for Applied and Theoretical Economics, ATE. Steffen’s current collaborative research projects investigate the role ambiguity plays in collective decision-making, the institutions that govern climate negotiations, firm learning and its impact on competition in markets and the economics of botnets and Internet security.
Dr. Julie McArthur
Renewable energy policy
Julie.1macarthur@royalroads.ca
Julie is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Reimagining Capitalism at Royal Roads University. She is the author of Empowering Electricity: Co-operatives, Sustainability and Power Sector Reform in Canada (UBC Press, 2016), as well more than 30 articles and book chapters on energy democracy, participatory environmental governance, and comparative energy policy. Her recent research projects include the contribution of community energy initiatives to climate change mitigation and the role of women in energy transitions.
Dr. Suzy Morrissey
Tax, transfers, and gender analysis
s.morrissey@auckland.ac.nz
Suzy is currently Director, Policy at the Retirement Commission in New Zealand where she provides expert advice on public and private pensions (NZ Superannuation, KiwiSaver) and financial capability. Suzy specialises in policy and gender, and her research focuses on tax, transfers (welfare), gender analysis, gender budgeting, and wellbeing economics. Suzy has held senior roles across the public sector, including the development of the Living Standards Framework at The Treasury. Her PhD examined policy and gender equality (paid parental leave).
Professor Alan Tidwell
Peacemaking and conflict-resolution
act35@georgetown.edu
Alan Tidwell is Professor of the Practice and Director of the Center for Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Studies (CANZPS) at the Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service. His areas of interest include the Australian-American alliance, the politics of foreign affairs, smaller states of Oceania, and conflict resolution. His recent publications have focused on subnational actors in the Indo-Pacific, Australia’s diplomatic engagement with the US and the strategies of small state advocacy in Washington. Currently, he serves on the United States Institute of Peace’s (USIP) Senior Study Group concerning China’s impact on peace and security in the North Pacific’s Freely Associated States.
Dr. Michael O’Sullivan
Equity, data modelling, operations research
michael.osullivan@auckland.ac.nz
Michael is a Senior Lecturer in Engineering Science at the University of Auckland who specialises in Operations Research (OR). After completing a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science and a Masters in OR at the University of Auckland, Michael spent time at Stanford University in the US where he obtained a MS in Engineering-Economic Systems and OR, and a PhD in Management Science and Engineering. Michael created the research group Operations Research Union Analytics (ORUA) which combines OR and analytics to develop intelligent systems. More about Michael.
Dr Antonio Romero
Public policy, public service reform and climate change in Central America
arom008@aucklanduni.ac.nz
Antonio is an international development professional inspired by the search for solutions to social problems through knowledge, politics and action. Antonio’s research projects aim to address complex issues where institutional, political, and social dynamics converge. Antonio specialises in research on institutional strengthening, coalition building, government reform, and public policy.
Dr. Ritu Parna Roy
Postcolonial theory, migration, intersectionality, higher education, and social research
Dr. Ritu Parna Roy is a Research Fellow at Te Ngira: Institute for Population Research, University of Waikato. Ritu has an MA and Ph.D. (Sociology) from the University of Auckland and graduate qualifications from the University of Rajshahi. She has worked with multiple transdisciplinary teams as a Researcher in Te Pūnaha Matatini and the Public Policy Institute (PPI). Ritu has taught several undergraduate and postgraduate courses at the University of Auckland and AUT. Her research specialties include postcolonial theory, migration, intersectionality, critical higher education, and social research methods.
Honorary Associate Professor Susan St John
Child Poverty Action Group, Retirement Policy and Research Centre
s.stjohn@auckland.ac.nz
Susan is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Business and Economics Administration, the University of Auckland and the director of the University of Auckland Retirement Policy and Research Centre. Her research and teaching interests are focused on public sector and retirement policy issues, including decumulation of savings and annuity issues, tax and poverty issues, and applied macroeconomics. Current projects include analyses of the family tax credit system, overseas pensions and their treatment in New Zealand, child poverty in New Zealand and family income assistance, income and asset testing for long-term care, the welfare state and targeting, the economic implications of New Zealand’s Accident Compensation, and tax reforms.
Professor Alan Tidwell
Peacemaking and conflict-resolution
act35@georgetown.edu
Alan Tidwell is Professor of the Practice and Director of the Center for Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Studies (CANZPS) at the Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service. His areas of interest include the Australian-American alliance, the politics of foreign affairs, smaller states of Oceania, and conflict resolution. His recent publications have focused on subnational actors in the Indo-Pacific, Australia’s diplomatic engagement with the US and the strategies of small state advocacy in Washington. Currently, he serves on the United States Institute of Peace’s (USIP) Senior Study Group concerning China’s impact on peace and security in the North Pacific’s Freely Associated States.
