Friday, 05 July 2013 10:09

Fulbright awards for two Plant and Food staff

Written by Pamela Tipa

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Two members of Plant & Food Research staff have won Fulbright New Zealand awards educational exchange with the United States.

Graeme Fielder (pictured) , business development manager at the Mt Albert site, has been awarded the Fulbright-Platinum Triangle Award in Business, which will allow him to study towards a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Stanford University in California. His degree will specialise in entrepreneurship, innovation and technology venture growth.

Dr Doug Rosendale, of the Food & Nutrition Group in Palmerston North, was awarded a Fulbright NZ Travel Award, which enabled him to visit nine institutions and two conferences in the USA over May and June 2013, to present on his research in gut health.

Gaining an MBA from a US institution will help efforts to commercialise New Zealand science internationally, says Fielder.

"An MBA from Stanford will help provide some theoretical frameworks and solidify my understanding of the business of innovation," he says.

"I firmly believe that New Zealand science belongs on the global stage, and understanding how innovations are managed, made, marketed and sold will put me in a better position to do just that, at the same time as building a network of individuals at the top of the field, the game changers and influencers of the future. On completion of my MBA, I look forward to returning to New Zealand, and putting my new knowledge into action."

Dr Rosendale says his visit to the US has allowed him to build on his knowledge through interaction with other groups working in similar areas of research.

"Visiting these US institutions has provided me with an opportunity to bring together interested parties within the existing Plant & Food Research network with new partners in the US for potential collaborative projects," he says.

"It has been very useful to be able to go to these conferences and institutions, get hands-on experience of how other research groups work, identify new techniques that might apply to our own research, and extend my network and experience."

All the Fulbright grantees were formally recognised at an awards ceremony held at the Beehive in Wellington last week.

Picture: Fulbright New Zealand

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