$820k fellowship for Dr Hazel Abraham
AUT’s Dr Hazel Abraham is “humbled” to be the recipient of a Mana Tūāpapa Future Leader Fellowship from the Royal Society Te Apārangi.
Funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the fellowship is for researchers building the foundations of their careers, with the aim of supporting career development in this country, and to enhance equity and diversity.
"I am humbled by the award and want to acknowledge my tupuna, whānau, hapū and iwi for their support over many generations,” says Dr Abraham, (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Whakatōhea, Ngāi Tuhoe, Ngāti Rangitihi,) who is researching how digital technology could enhance Māori and Pacific wellbeing.
Dr Abraham will use the Mana Tūāpapa Future Leader Fellowship to investigate the well-established relationship between digital access and health inequities for Māori and Pacific peoples.
Grounded in tikanga and Indigenous data sovereignty, Dr Abraham ’s research will take a quantitative and qualitative structured mixed-methods approach, in partnership with 150 groups, to co-create artificial intelligence powered storytelling platforms, augmented reality and virtual reality experiences, podcasting tools, digital literacy assessments, culturally responsive tools, and a wellbeing app.
This research is focused on empowering confidence, capability, and innovation in underrepresented communities.
Dr Abraham, Te Kaiwhakatere (research) and Senior Lecturer at AUT’s School of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences, is one of 20 recipients of the fellowship.
Each recipient will receive $820,000 over four years and will be supported by the Society to develop leadership skills.