1. Home
2. Our People
3. Teaching, Research and Support
4. Past lab members

Past lab members

Kaleialoha Nginingini, Intern, 2024

Justin Tirados, BBiomedSc Hons student 2019; PhD student 2020-23

Current position - flow cytometry manager, University of Otago

• 2022 Australasian Cytometry Society Travel Award

Gemma Laws, BBiomedSc Hons student 2014; MSc student 2017-18; PhD student 2020-23

Current position - postdoctoral fellow, Oxford University, UK PhD student

• 2022 - Winner Buck Award - best student presentation NZASI
• 2022 - ASI Travel Award
• 2022 - MPPT Travel Award
• 2022 - AAI Travel for Techniques Award
• 2021 - Best student presentation, BMS Postgraduate symposium

Jessica Harte, BBiomedSc Hons student 2018; PhD student 2019-23

Current position - postdoctoral fellow, Walter and Elisa Hall Institute, Melbourne

• 2022 Cancer Research Trust Professional Development Award
• 2022 Australasian Cytometry Society Travel Award
• 2022 ASI Travel Award
• 2019 - Cancer Society of NZ PhD Scholarship

Moira Heron, BSc Hons student 2021

Current position - University of Otago administration

Ginny Niemi, MSc student 2016-17; lab manager 2017-20

Current position - research technician, Amaroq

Sonya Fenton, BBiomedsci Hons student 2020

Current position - Dunedin Colorectal Cohort Research Fellow

Amy Watts, BBiomedsci Hons student 2020

Current position - High School Teacher, Lumsden

Paulo Urbano, Postdoctoral fellow 2019-2020

Current position - Field Service Engineer- Flow Cyotmetry, Copenhagen

Hamish Angus, BSc Hons student 2016; PhD student 2017-2020

Current position - Teach First NZ Scholar, Whangarei High School

Doug Gaskarth, MSc student 2018 - 2019

Current position - PhD student, Kemp lab

Luis Munoz-Erazo, postdoctoral fellow 2018-2019

Current position - University of Auckland

Sam Norton,  BBiomedSci (Hons) student 2013, PhD student 2014 - 2017, postdoctoral fellow 2018-19

• 2nd place, OSMS Postgraduate Symposium Poster 2016
• Sandy Smith Scholarship 2015
• Genesis Oncology Trust Professional Development Award 2015
• Webster Centre for Infectious Disease Travel Award 2014
• ASI Travel Award 2014
• Gut Health Network Travel Award 2014
• winner OMSRS PhD Award 2014

Current position: founder, Nanix, www.nanix.co.nz; Bioinformatics Software Engineer, Becton Dickinson

Simon Shirley, MSc student 2015 (with Sarah Hook); PhD student 2016 - 2019 (with Julie Cakebread and Ali Hodgkinson, AgResearch) 

Current position  - postdoctoral fellow, Rockefeller University, New York, USA

Julia Leman, MSc student 2017 - 2018

Current position - PhD student, Germany

• 2nd Place BMS Postgraduate Symposium Short Talk 2017

Kit Moloney-Geany, PGDip student 2018

Current position - PhD student, Department of Biochemistry

Kirsten Ward-Harststonge, PGDipSci student 2013, PhD student 2014  - 2017

• Winner NZASI Buck Award Immunology 2017
• Genesis Professional Development Award 2017
• Winner - Young Researcher Award NZ Society of Oncology 2016
• Winner OMSRS PhD Award 2016
• Winner OSMS Postgraduate Symposium PK Talk 2016
• Awarded ASI Travel Award to attend ICI 2016
• Awarded Lotteries Research Health PhD Scholarship 2014
• Awarded Genesis Oncology Trust Post-graduate Scholarship 2014 (declined)
• winner - Brenda Shore Award for Women 2014
• winner - Todd Foundation Award for Excellence 2014

Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Otago

Shirley Shen MSc student 2015 - 2017

• Student Representative Australasian Society of Cytometry
• 2nd Place OSMS Postgraduate Symposium PK Talk 2016

Current Position: Regulatory Affairs and Medical Associate, Pharmaco NZ

Garrett Chin BSc (Hons) student 2015

Current Position: Engagement Manager, Hounslow Borough Based Partnership, London, UK

Ed Taylor  BSc (Hons) student 2011; summer student 2010/11; PhD student 2012  - 2016

• Webster Centre for Infectious Disease Travel Award 2014
• Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust Travel Award 2014
• ASI Travel Award 2014
• Gut Health Network Travel Award 2014
• runner up  Buck Award for best student presentation NZASI 2014 
• awarded Sandy Smith Memorial Scholarship 2013
• awarded ASI Travel Award 2013
• awarded NZASI Travel Award 2013
• winner Eli Lilly Award for best trainee presentation at NZSO 2013
• awarded NZSO Trainee Travel Award 2012
• 1st equal 4th Year student presentation 2011
• Featured in ODT 2013

Current Position: Product @ Kiwibank

Andrew Highton – B. Biomed. Sci Hons Student 2010; Ph.D. student 2011 - 2015

• winner Eli Lilley Award for best trainee presentation at NZSO 2014
• awarded NZSO Travel Grant 2014
• awarded Nuffield Medical Post-doctoral Fellowship to Oxford University 2014
• 1st= poster prize - Australasian Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics Development Meeting 2014
• highly commended (poster) OSMS Postgraduate Research Forum 2014
• awarded Gut Health Network Travel Award 2013
• awarded NZASI Travel Award 2013
• awarded Webster Center for Infectious Disease Travel Scholarship 2013
• winner of the Otago Medical Research Society Prize at the Division of Health Sciences Annual Research Forum 2012
• awarded Sandy Smith Memorial Scholarship 2012
• awarded ASI Travel Award 2010

http://osms.otago.ac.nz/index.php/courses-a-subjects/204-andrew-highton-

http://osms.otago.ac.nz/index.php/see-more-stories-here/197-bbiomedsc-honours-day

Current position: University of Otago

Tim McCulloch - Research Technician 2014

Current position: PhD Student, Australia

Tom Worters - BBiomedSci (Hons) Student 2014 (with Grant Butt)

* awarded First Class Hons

Current position - Policy Officer, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Victoria, Australia

Elliott Dunn - M.Sc Student 2012 – 2014

* second place Dept 4th Year Presentations 2012

* awarded second prize at the Otago Medical School Research Society Awards for 4th Year Students 2012

* awarded second prize at the Otago Medical School Research Society Awards for Summer Students 2013

* People's Choice Award - 2013 OSMS Postgrad Symposium

* Winner - Baxter Healthcare Young Investigator Award 2013

* awarded Gut Health Network Travel Award 2013

Current position: Brandon Capital

Kristian Thomson - M.Sc Student (with Michelle McConnell) 2012 – 2014

* awarded NZASI Travel Award 2013

Current position: PhD student, Germany

Georgia Bell - Summer Student 2011-12, PGDip.Sci Student 2012 - 2013

Research Technician 2012 – 2014

* awarded Rona Scholarship 2014

Current position - Kai Putaiao Maori,  ESR

Adrian Patterson - Summer Student 2012-13

* awarded University of Otago Scholarship in Science

Current position - Medical Writer, BPAC

Adam Girardin - Research Technician: 2009 - 2012

*awarded NZSO Trainee Member Travel Award 2011

Current position - GP registrar, Melbourne

Cameron Field - B.Sc Hons Student 2011, Research Technician 2012

* awarded Best Student Presentation Award at NZASI 2012

Current position - Biotech Drug Discovery Program Lead, London, UK

Elyce du Mez - B.Sc Hons Student 2011; Summer Student 2011/12, Research Technician July 2012 - Oct 2012

Current position - Assurity Consulting

Fabienne Libuda - Visiting M.Sc Student (Hannover Medical School) 2011/12

Current position - PhD student, Hanover, Germany

Julia Prier – B.Sc Hons Student 2010; Summer Student 2009/10, 2010/11

* awarded ASI Travel Award 2010

* awarded Webster Centre for Infectious Disease Postgraduate Travel Award 2010

* Highly Commended OSMS Summer Studentship 2010/11

Nicola King - Summer Student 2009/10, 2010/11