Postgraduate News & Events
Otago students triumph in prestigious postgraduate scholarships
A string of successes in esteemed postgraduate scholarship rounds will see several Otago graduates taking on research degrees at some of the world’s top universities.
The Rutherford, Fulbright, Rhodes and Woolf Fisher Scholarships were all announced late in 2009 with Otago students well represented.
Julian Peat and Naomi White were awarded two of the three scholarships awarded annually by the Rutherford Foundation, which enable New Zealanders to undertake PhD study at the University of Cambridge in England.
Julian, who has just completed a Bachelor of Applied Science majoring in Molecular Biotechnology, will undertake research into how RNA interacts with cell components.
Naomi, who has completed a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Psychology, aims to study the improvement of social and communication skills in children with autism using musical intervention programmes.
Two of the three Rhodes Scholarships awarded annually were granted to Otago students, enabling Tom Hills and Alice Irving to undertake postgraduate study at Oxford.
A medical student at the Wellington School of Medicine, Tom plans to study for an MSc in Integrated Immunology before embarking on a DPhil programme.
Alice Irving, having completed an LLB (Hons) and BA in Community and Family Studies at Otago, plans to undertake a Bachelor of Civil Law and an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Oxford.
Honours student Jonathan Squire was selected from over 150 nominees put forward by 76 countries for a 2010 Fulbright Science and Technology Award. He intends to undertake a PhD in nuclear fusion at either Princeton University or MIT.
And Nathalie Saurat, who completed an Honours degree in Biochemistry this year, is a recipient of a Woolf Fisher Scholarship, which provides her with the opportunity to study for a PhD at Cambridge University, focusing on the potential role of microRNAs in gene expression.
"These successes are once again evidence of the high calibre of Otago's postgraduate students,” said Graduate Research Director Dr Charles Tustin. “Congratulations to all these winners who have been selected from many in very stiff competitions."
