Dr Navdeep Kaur, who graduated with a PhD in Psychology yesterday, never intended to leave India to study. But after finding her dream supervisor in Professor Jamin Halberstadt, she left Delhi for Dunedin.
As the first person in her family to undertake a PhD, Dr Navdeep Kaur’s ideas about what her supervisor should be like came from pop culture. Luckily, the psychology student’s high expectations were met in Professor Jamin Halberstadt.
“In Matilda there’s Miss Honey, in Harry Potter there’s Dumbledore, in Good Will Hunting there’s Professor Lambeau, and for me there was Jamin,” Navdeep says.
It was the prospect of working with Jamin that prompted Navdeep, who graduated yesterday, to leave bustling Delhi for leafy Dunedin. After completing an undergraduate thesis about forgiveness in the wake of Delhi’s 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Navdeep knew she wanted to explore the different ways in which people perceive the same gods. With work being done remotely due to the pandemic, she took the opportunity to become a research assistant for Assistant Professor Joshua Jackson, who was then a PhD student at the University of North Carolina.
“Joshua encouraged me to do my PhD, and he introduced me to Jamin. As soon as we met, I knew I wanted him to be my supervisor.”
Navdeep began her research in Delhi during the height of the pandemic, but when borders opened, she moved to New Zealand. After landing in Dunedin, Navdeep immediately regretted turning down Jamin’s offer to collect her. The airport was deserted, and all she could see around her were fields and sheep.
“I thought ‘oh my gosh, where am I?’ But once I arrived in the city, I could see people. And my four years at the University of Otago gave me some of the best experiences of my life.”
Navdeep says Dunedin locals showed her the value of kindness. From the driver who made sure she got home safely after catching the wrong bus, to the friends she made, Navdeep never felt like a stranger – though she did sometimes long for a taste of home.
“I didn’t have cooking facilities because my meals were provided by Arana residential college. I mentioned to Jamin that I was missing home-cooked Indian food, so he and his wife Cindy invited me and some other students to their place to cook with them. It was an evening of international and Kiwi culture, and I felt as though I was part of a family.”
Jamin supported Navdeep as she continued her research, which looked at the surprising ways in which architectural forms and religious objects have shaped religious beliefs and practices.
“For example, the Buddha statue can look different due to what materials are locally available for sculpture. Varying materials create forms that are more rounded or pointy, which may influence people’s perceptions of the Buddha,” Navdeep says.
“Likewise, if local materials have enabled the build of large structures, many people can fit in a room and there might be a collective worshipping style, whereas in a smaller structure the focus might be individual prayer. I also looked into communion and how different wines impact on how people see Jesus.”
Hopeful of building an academic career, Navdeep continues to be inspired by Jamin, her real-life “Miss Honey”. But the professor’s just one of many people who sailed alongside Navdeep on her PhD voyage.
“I couldn’t have achieved this milestone without my co-supervisor Joseph Watts, my Dunedin friends, my friends back home, and the family who supported me through different time zones and picked up my calls at two in the morning. It’s hard to support a family member who’s doing a PhD, but they were on board with me.”
-Kōrero by Kathryn van Beek, Communications Advisor | Kaiarataki Pārokoroko