The recipients of the 2025 University of Otago Early Career Awards are already having a positive impact on society and the environment across their fields of expertise.
The four recipients of the awards are Dr Joon Kim (Department of Physiology), Dr Zihan Liu (Department of Accountancy and Finance), Dr Graham McCulloch (Department of Zoology) and Dr Xun Xiao (Department of Mathematics and Statistics).
Their research expertise covers a fascinating range of disciplines including neuroscience, using genomic tools to study human activities, improving sustainability reporting and using an interdisciplinary approach to optimise complex systems.
They each receive a $5,000 research grant and membership to the Otago Early Career Researcher Forum that promotes the research of early to mid-career academics at Otago and provides collaboration and networking opportunities.
Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) Dr Martin Gagnon says the positive impacts that these researchers are already demonstrating for local and global communities is impressive.
“What’s exciting is the future potential of their research to make a significant impact on the lives of people, communities and the environment. Their recognition is well earned and congratulations to you all.”
Profiles of the four recipients of the 2025 Otago Early Career Awards follow.
Dr Joon Kim, Department of Physiology
A true experimentalist, Joon has consistently developed novel tools and approaches to answer fundamental questions in brain function and is committed to sharing knowledge and science outreach.
His research focus is understanding how activity at the single-neuron level governs stress-related behaviours, particularly anxiety and fear.
Joon pioneered the development of fibre photometry in New Zealand, an advanced technique for recording neuronal activity in animals. This significantly advanced the understanding of stress neural circuits, culminating in a landmark Nature Communications publication and numerous international talks.
In 2021 he launched Argotech, an open-source research technology platform developed in partnership with the Centre for Neuroendocrinology and local engineering firm BrightSparks. The platform freely shares hardware and software innovations, including Joon’s fibre photometry system, now used in laboratories across New Zealand and internationally.
He has also built technology-based collaborations in both research and industry, such as developing a prototype portable device for a bioassay company.
Joon believes this model can improve funding economy for researchers, accelerate discovery, while also creating commercial opportunities. “All designs and code for various research technologies are released, which is supporting knowledge transfer and advancements in the research environment. It’s making a difference.”
Joon says his goal is to foster a community for neuroscience innovations in Aotearoa.
Dr Zihan Liu, Department of Accountancy and Finance
Zihan’s main research interest lies in the role of corporate accounting and reporting – with a particular focus on the intersection between business, society, and the environment.
“I was once asked why I explore sustainability as an accounting researcher,” Zihan says. “It’s a question that has stayed with me, and the answer I’ve arrived at over time continues to shape and affirm my motivation and passion for my work. I’m interested in how corporate accounting and reporting can better integrate sustainability, thereby enabling policy recommendations.”
Zihan’s latest research project is funded by the Australian Accounting Standards Board. It supports the development of high-quality accounting and sustainability standards and explores the connectivity of financial and non-financial (social, environmental and governance performance) information. The findings are expected to inform future reporting standards and improve reporting practice and accountability across sectors.
Zihan says the Early Career Research Award acknowledges the persistence, collaboration and focus that have guided her research.
“I see this recognition as a catalyst to continue bringing these critical conversations to the forefront. I’m deeply grateful to those who inspired and supported me along the way – this award is as much theirs as mine, and their words will continue to guide and enrich my path.”
Dr Graham McCulloch, Department of Zoology
Graham is an evolutionary biologist who uses genomic tools to study how human activities are reshaping the natural world. He completed his undergraduate and PhD studies in Genetics at Otago and since 2020 has been a Research Fellow in Zoology. Graham’s research has explored a wide range of organisms and ecosystems, from beetles in India to invasive trees in Florida.
In 2020, Graham was awarded a Marsden Fund Fast-Start Grant to investigate the impacts of deforestation on Aotearoa New Zealand’s endemic insect fauna. His current research, published recently in Science, advances understanding of key drivers of the rapid human-driven evolution in New Zealand’s species.
“I love working in this area because it lets me see evolution happening right before our eyes,” Graham says. “We often think of evolution as a slow, incremental process that takes millions of years, but my research shows it can unfold much more quickly - within decades, or even faster.”
In 2024, recognising his leadership in uncovering the evolutionary consequences of environmental change, Graham was awarded a Royal Society Te Apārangi Mana Tūānuku Research Leader Fellowship.
Graham says receiving the Early Career Award is great recognition for the work of his research team and provides support to keep tackling some of the most exciting challenges in the field.
Dr Xun Xiao, Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Xun’s research expertise is in Industrial Engineering, an interdisciplinary field that combines mathematical, statistical, scientific, and engineering principles to model and optimise complex systems. In 2023, he received the New Zealand Statistical Association’s Worsley Early Career Award in recognition of his research success by an early career New Zealand statistician.
Starting as a lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in June 2021, Xun says the most enjoyable part of his work is learning something new every day. “Data is everywhere, and making sense of it is a universal challenge in scientific research. My ambition is to build a bridge between first principles and systems theory via data, so that we can better understand the world and society.”
As the Principal Investigator of a Marsden Fund Fast-Start Grant awarded in 2024, Xun is developing novel statistical methods to mitigate uncertainty in managing complex networks of infrastructure assets. His publication record includes 30 peer-reviewed journal articles on a broad range of topics including engineering, statistics, and energy.
Xun says being an early career researcher gives him the energy to tackle challenging questions and the courage to take risks. “This award reassures me that the direction I am pursuing is valued, and it inspires me to keep pushing the boundaries of knowledge.”