Postgraduate Research Excellence Awards 2023

The Postgraduate Research Excellence Awards were established by Victoria University of Wellington in 2009. The awards recognise research by VUW postgraduate students that:

  • Displays academic rigour, excellence, originality, or creativity;

  • Advances knowledge in the field or significantly contributes to knowledge;

  • Is communicated clearly, in a way that an educated but non-expert audience can understand;

  • Has a demonstrated impact within the scholarly, economic, or wider stakeholder communities;

In 2023, from June to August, we received a total of 19 inspiring applications, each showcasing the profound intellectual capacity and innovative spirit of our students. While we regretfully had no suitable candidates for the Māori Knowledge and Development and Pacifica Awards this year, the breadth and depth of research in other areas were truly remarkable.

The Associate Deans of Research across faculties organized panels to carefully review the applications from their areas. This meticulous process led to the selection of 10 extraordinary awardees, whose work not only meets but exceeds the high standards of academic rigour, originality, and impact. The 2023 recipients are:

Sepideh Afsari Bajestani - Faculty of Architecture and Design

Junhao Huang - Faculty of Engineering

Peter Adu - Faculty of Health

Jana Grohnert - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Calum Gordon – Faculty of Science

Sarah Messenger – Faculty of Science

Rana Abdollahi Rizi – Faculty of Architecture and Design

Paul Harrison - Wellington School of Business and Government

Zhenqi Li - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Rohit Duggal - Faculty of Engineering

Their remarkable research exemplifies the essence of these awards, demonstrating not only scholarly excellence but also significant contributions to their fields, clarity in communication to a broader audience, and impactful outcomes in academic and wider communities. We encourage more postgraduate students to participate in future PGSA Postgraduate Research Excellence Awards. Your research has the potential to ignite change and drive innovation. These awards are a platform for you to showcase your work and gain recognition for your academic endeavors.