Our Community
"Abbey College opened in February 2008 and has already developed a rich, multi national, community spirit with a strong academic heart. Our postgraduate residents come from all over the world with a third from New Zealand.
"Our residents enjoy a safe, supportive, and collegial environment where staff and residents enjoy mutual respect for each other.
"Our academic, social and sporting activities provide opportunities for fostering intellectual challenge and for forging new friendships both at Abbey College and within the wider postgraduate community at the University."
Gretchen Kivell - Head of College 
Gretchen Kivell lives on-site to oversee the smooth operation of the College. The welcoming environment she fosters is based on a minimum of rules and a maximum of respect for other residents of Abbey College.
John Seaton - Deputy Head of College
John Seaton is responsible for the day-to-day running of Abbey College and will assist residents with payments and general enquiries.
Suzanne Schofield - Receptionist
Suzanne works part-time providing Reception and Administrative
assistance.
Mark Robertson - Maintenance
Mark works at Abbey College in the afternoons of Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Residents On Call
If anyone needs help or assistance at any time, Abbey College ensures that there is always someone on call who can respond. We have five residents who are on call outside the rostered hours of our security guard.
Currently they are:
- Evelyn Looi- Malaysia - PhD Management
I love living in Abbey and I dare say that there are not many residential colleges that offer such conducive living and study environment for postgraduates. I have been living in this college for about 4 years now. This is a place where I met scholars from all walks of life, regardless of their age group, ethnicity, nationality, and specialty. Not only do I learn about my own topic of research through the many intellectual conversations and exchanges I have with other residents but I am also given the opportunity to learn about other residents' studies as well as their cultural diversities. I'd say my stay at Abbey College has enriched me in all aspects of my life.
Evelyn
- Himang Mujoo- India - PhD Pharmacy
Living in Abbey is comfortable and easy. At no other time have I felt this more so than when my foot was twisted into a swollen mess. All you have to do is hop along into the dining hall and get food while people all around offer you rides and even automobiles. And by no way I am the best looking chap, it comes out purely out of the kindness of their hearts...
Himang
- Stephan Essendorfer- Germany PhD Accounting
- Shobhit Eusebius, PhD Marketing
Abbey College has an ideal living environment for research engaged students. It is fully catered 365 days a year, with comfortable rooms and support facilities such as weekly cleaning etc. This means that I can dedicate all my focus to my research without worrying about anything else. The staff at Abbey College go out of their way to ensure that the college remains a comfortable and homely place to stay. It is also a vibrant community of post graduate students from all over the world with a wide range of study and research interests. This makes the environment at Abbey very intellectually stimulating. All these factors contribute to making the stay at Abbey a truly enriching experience. .
Shobhit
- Andrew Tan - Malaysia - PhD Economics
As a postgraduate student, work can be quite demanding and often I have to spend most of the day doing research and writing. After a hard day's work at the office, I know I can look forward to a cozy room, ready meals and some R&R at the College. The best part of this story? Almost everything is provided (e.g. food, security, entertainment and even weekly cleaning services) so I do not have to spend time worrying about them. Living in Abbey College allows me to focus on what is more important- my thesis!
Andrew