Jennifer is a Professor of Politics and Director of the Public Policy Institute at the University of Auckland. Her research and publications focus on Australian and New Zealand politics and policy, gender, policy analysis and political leadership, and the politics of sport. She teaches comparative public policy, lesson drawing and the gender analysis in the Master of Public Policy and she is the PhD Adviser for Public Policy. Her research involves engagement with a range of government agencies, policy consultancies and non-profit organisations, and her publications appear in scholarly outlets, peer reviewed reports, and policy briefings. She regularly shares her findings with community organisations and the media, both in New Zealand and internationally.

Jennifer is currently leading externally funded projects on the following topics: Gender Responsive Budgeting in New Zealand; the Gendered Effects of COVID19 globally and locally; Gender and Political Leadership at the Subnational Level in Australia and Canada; as well as being a Principal Investigator on the New Zealand Election Study.  You can find more of her policy-relevant research on this website Auckland Policy Commons, and the Gender Responsive Analysis and Budgeting website.

Email: j.curtin@auckland.ac.nz

Suzanne’s work has a strong social focus in terms of equity and research impact through partner engagement and knowledge mobilisation. She works directly with marginalised communities to improve their wellbeing. Her work also produces recommendations for improved policies and procedures in a range of areas, including social justice, infrastructure, health and technology. As part of the Public Policy Institute, she also works with a number of research collaborators on environmental, health and technology policy and implementation, most recently on projects about Kaumātua and intergenerational homes, breast cancer among Samoan women, family violence, health reform, robots and AI.

Suzanne is the Co-Director of the Infrastructure for Community Futures Research Centre. She is a member of the Natural, Artificial and Organisational Intelligence Research Centre, Ngā Ara Whetū, the Transportation Research Centre, the Centre for Methods and Policy in Social Sciences (COMPASS), the Health Reform Collective, and the Centre for Robotics and Automated Engineering.

Tim is a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations and Programme Director of Master of Public Policy. Tim’s research has explored public policy and law in the areas of mental health and disability, immigration, deportation and asylum policy. Tim’s current research considers aspects of Aotearoa New Zealand’s immigration policy and how legal practitioners use the law to advocate for client’s facing deportation. Tim is a former Fulbright (Public Policy) Fellow and Mellon Foundation/American Council of Learned Societies postdoctoral fellow. He practiced law in the United States, American Samoa and Samoa, including handling immigration and asylum claims, is a member of the Maine bar (USA) and is admitted before the United States Supreme Court.

Email: timothy.fadgen@auckland.ac.nz

I’m a lecturer in Public Policy and Technology at the Public Policy Institute Te Whare Marea Tātari Kaupapa (PPI) in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau (UoA), here in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand.

I have been a Research & Policy Lead at an NGO working in digital equity & tech policy. Before that, I was also a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the PPI at UoA, researching approaches to address systemic gendered effects in public sector budgets.

In 2020 I completed my PhD in Public Policy at Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka, studying online political participation as part of my wider interest in the intersection of technology and the social & political.

My background is as a Sociologist (tho my first degree was in Astrophysics!), with particular foci on online political & social behaviour, technology policy, gender, and politics, having studied previously at both the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Canterbury Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha.

I am a lecturer in public policy with expertise in economics. My research examines how institutions shape responses to sustainability, climate change mitigation/adaptation, natural resource governance, and development. I primarily use quantitative analysis and cross-country data to support evidence-based policy. I hold a PhD in Economics from the University of Auckland and an MA in Economic Development and Planning from Iran. At PPI, I lead the Policy Inc Research Lab, teach in the MPP programme, and supervise postgraduate research.

Email: m.salimifar@auckland.ac.nz

Gay’s current research focuses on Inclusive Artificial Intelligence (AI), Good Governance, and Participation. For her PhD, she studied the CEDAW, representation, women’s rights policymaking, and their interaction with informal institutions, specifically political dynasties. She completed her doctoral studies in Politics and International Relations at the University of Auckland (UoA) in 2022 as a University of Auckland Doctoral Scholar. She also earned her Master of Public Policy at UoA as a New Zealand ASEAN scholar. Her expertise in education management, student engagement, and pastoral care, both in traditional and online modes, gained from her experience in the Philippines and New Zealand, enables her to contribute significantly to the Public Policy Institute’s professional development and short course programmes.

Email: gaym.francisco@auckland.ac.nz

Komathi joined the Public Policy Institute in 2020 and has since contributed to several research projects examining the gendered impacts of government policies, with a particular focus on COVID-19, wellbeing, and equity in Aotearoa New Zealand. Her work includes a systematic scoping review of the gendered effects of COVID-19, analyses of socio-environmental data to inform the Living Standards Framework’s wellbeing indicators, and gender budgeting analyses of government budgets. She is currently leading a study on the effects of unpaid care work on women’s wellbeing and its implications for the unpaid care economy in Aotearoa.

I am a public policy and public health professional with experience as a community development practitioner, consultant, lecturer, researcher, and activist. My work focuses on health equity, political participation, and violence prevention.

For over a decade, I have worked with rural, indigenous, and ethnic communities, particularly women and youth, in Latin America, supporting their participation in policy-making, advocacy, and health promotion. I have provided technical assistance, research, and evaluation services for international NGOs, the UN system (including UNFPA and IOM), and other international cooperation agencies such as Helvetas. Additionally, I have taught political science, research methods, and governance at Rafael Landívar University in Guatemala.

Currently, I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Public Policy Institute (PPI) at the University of Auckland, where I support research and the teaching activities of the institute. I also work as a lead practitioner in the prevention of family and sexual violence with ethnic communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. In this role, I collaborate with diverse cultural and religious groups to initiate community-led conversations on consent, healthy relationships, and masculinities through culturally grounded approaches.

My research interests include public policy, participatory governance, health promotion, family and sexual violence prevention, and qualitative research methods. I am passionate about integrating community-based knowledge and policy analysis to create meaningful social change.