2025 Professorial promotions announced

Vice-Chancellor Professor Jan Thomas celebrates their remarkable work and commitment to academic excellence.

Te Kura Hauora Tangata College of Health 

Professor Chrissy Severinsen

Professor Chrissy Severinsen is a multi-award-winning public health educator and researcher whose work advances equity and wellbeing through teaching, research, and community partnerships. Her research spans homelessness, community health promotion, health equity, and public health education. She has been recognised nationally and internationally for her innovative teaching and curricula design.

As Kaiārahi Tiriti in the College of Health, Professor Severinsen champions Massey’s Te Tiriti o Waitangi aspirations. She collaborates closely with students, colleagues, and communities to strengthen Te Tiriti-led public health practice, and serves on boards shaping workforce development, reflecting sustained leadership in higher education and research.

Te Kura Pūkenga Tangata College of Humanities and Social Sciences 

Professor Julia Becker

Professor Julia Becker is a leading authority on the societal impacts of natural hazards, disasters, and emergencies. Based at the Joint Centre for Disaster Research (JCDR), her work spans disaster impacts, risk perception, preparedness, communication, forecasting, warnings, and community resilience. She has contributed to the understanding of major events in Aotearoa New Zealand, including the Ruapehu eruptions (1995–96), Canterbury earthquakes (2010–11), Kaikōura earthquake and tsunami (2016), and severe weather events in 2023.

Professor Becker’s research has international reach, encompassing Australia, the USA, Japan, and Europe, where she has led collaborations on earthquake forecasting, early warning systems, and misinformation. She has published more than 115 journal articles, seven book chapters, 50 conference proceedings, and 160 industry reports. She has received six awards recognising the impact and quality of her work.

In addition to her academic work, Professor Becker provides extensive leadership in her field, serving as Deputy Director of Research at JCDR, Associate Director of QuakeCoRE Te Hiranga Rū, and Theme Leader (Living with Risk) for the Natural Hazards and Resilience Platform. She also advises national science panels, helping shape disaster resilience in New Zealand and internationally.

Professor Pauline Harris

Professor Pauline Harris, Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Rakaipaaka, Ngāti Kahungunu, is an astrophysicist based in Te Pūtahi a Toi School of Māori Knowledge. Her research spans high-energy neutrino production, inflationary cosmology, and mātauranga Māori, including Māori astronomy and the maramataka (Māori calendar system). She is Chairperson of the Society for Māori Astronomy Research and Traditions (SMART), co-chair of MAIEA the Māori Aerospace Collective and Deputy Director Māori at the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology.

Professor Harris was a member of the   Matariki Advisory Committee that established the Matariki public holiday and previously led the Vision Mātauranga Theme for the Science for Technological Innovation National Science Challenge. Her work bridges traditional knowledge with modern scientific research, advancing understandings in Māori astronomy, space science, climate and sustainability.

Te Kura Whai Pakihi Massey Business School 

Professor Claire Matthews

Professor Claire Matthews’ connection with Massey University began as an undergraduate and continued through postgraduate study via distance while she was working. She joined Massey as a Senior Lecturer in 1996 after 12 years in the banking sector. Her research focuses on personal finance, financial capability, and retirement planning. She authors the Fin-Ed Centre’s annual Retirement Expenditure Guidelines report, a widely cited and discussed resource in New Zealand.

Professor Matthews has served as Massey Business School Associate Dean, Academic Quality, Chair of Academic Board, and, from January 2025, Head of School and Dean for the newly formed School of Accountancy, Economics and Finance Te Kura Huinga Tahua. Her leadership and research have made a lasting impact on financial literacy and retirement planning in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Professor Radiah Othman

Professor Radiah Othman is a Certified Fraud Examiner (USA) and a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) Australia member, specialising in forensic accounting. An award-winning researcher and educator, she has received multiple teaching and research accolades, including the Massey Business School Special Achievement in Teaching Award and Pearson Best Author Award. She also led the Massey team to win the MYOB Education Partner of the Year Award.

Professor Othman has achieved international recognition for her research, including awards from Emerald Global Publishing, the Malaysian Outstanding Research Paper in Accounting Award, and the International Conference of Financial Criminology. She supervises postgraduate students, fosters industry partnerships, and has contributed significantly to advancing accounting research and education, both nationally and internationally.

Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts

Professor Kura Te Waru-Rewiri

Professor Kura Te Waru-Rewiri, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa, Ngāti Pakahi, Ngāti Kauwhata, Ngāti Hinepare, is an accomplished Māori art educator and artist with extensive experience in tertiary education and cultural leadership. She teaches at the College of Creative Arts and has contributed significantly to Toioho Ki Āpiti, including leadership of Māori Visual Arts programmes.

Her career includes leading degree programmes at NorthTec, refurbishing Te Puna o Te Mātauranga Marae, and serving on the Māori Arts Board of Creative New Zealand (Te Waka Toi). A respected contemporary Māori artist, her work is held in numerous public and private collections. She has led major projects such as Ki mua Ki muri, and was a contributing artist to the Kauri Dieback, Save the Kiwi,and the Spec Saver Fred Hollows Collaboration 2025/2026 to prevent loss of eyesight amongst our Pacifica whānau. Professor Te Waru-Rewiri also contributes to governance and community arts through roles on Toi Ngāpuhi Board and Te Rūnanga o Whaingaroa.

Professor Faith Kane

Professor Faith Kane is a textile and materials researcher and educator working at the intersection of design, science, and engineering. Her expertise lies in place-based and transitional approaches that foster sustainability through connection, innovation and regeneration, driven by a belief in the ability of textiles and materials to shape better futures. With interests in natural fibres, woven textiles, nonwovens, biomaterials and colour, Dr Kane’s research explores the regenerative benefits of local textile systems, addresses environmental challenges through textile practices, and the value of textile and material thinking within expanded design contexts. She has led interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary projects on laser and enzyme coloration and surface patterning, nonwoven and composite development with European flax, and place-based textile systems.

Since relocating to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2016 to join Massey University Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Dr Kane has partnered as Tangata Tiriti in research toward a renewed harakeke textiles industry and co-leads Te Whiri Whītau, a research cluster exploring the potential of natural fibres to activate environmental, social, cultural and economic benefit. Alongside this, she has contributed extensively to teaching and supervision, leading the textiles area within Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts (2016–2020), serving as Academic Director (2021 – 2024), and currently as Associate Dean Academic Programmes.

Te Wāhanga Pūtaiao College of Sciences 

Professor David Thomas

Professor David Thomas earned his Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Zoology from Dundee University, Scotland, and his PhD in Zoology from University College London. He is a leading authority in companion animal science, with his research delivering practical solutions for the global pet food industry. His work ranges from adding value to red meat industry by-products to advanced nutraceutical research for super-premium pet food products.

Professor Thomas has pioneered remote sensing and sampling technologies to study animal behaviour, welfare, and diet interactions, shaping new approaches to companion animal care. Since joining Massey University in 2002, he has secured over $22 million in research funding and has directed the Feline and Canine Nutrition Units since 2005. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, 100 conference papers, and over 200 commercial reports, and regularly shares his expertise at national and international scientific and industry forums.

Promoted to Associate Professor – effective 1 January 2026

Te Wāhanga Pūtaiao College of Sciences 

Dr Alejandra Acevdo Fani

Mr Steve De Grey

Dr Helen Fitzsimons

Dr Megan Jolly

Dr Sarah Pain

Dr Ali Rashidinejad

Dr Amjed Tahir

Te Kura Pūkenga Tangata College of Humanities and Social Sciences 

Dr Alice Beban

Dr Simon Bennett

Dr Rand Hazou

Dr Gareth Terry

Dr Hukarere Valentine

Te Kura Whai Pakihi Massey Business School 

Dr Alexandra Hess

Dr Hedy Huang

Dr Aymen Sajjad

Te Kura Hauora Tangata College of Health 

Dr Kerri-Ann Hughes

Dr Karyn O’Keeffe

Dr Suzanne Phibbs

Dr Nicky Stanley-Clarke

Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts 

Mr Antony Nevin

Mr Shannon Te Ao

Miss Sonya Withers