About
Poipoia te kākano, kia puāwai
Nurture the seed and it will blossom.
Hi there, thanks for stopping by.
I am a mature student studying the Masters in Industrial & Organisational Psychology here at the University of Canterbury.
My journey has been an interesting one. I completed a PhD in organic chemistry several decades ago, and spent about a decade synthesizing bioactive molecules, in particular enzyme inhibitors with medical applications, moving into teaching at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (now Ara Institute of Canterbury) while continuing to research bioactive molecules, including the analysis and extraction of natural products. In 2009 I began the move into management and in 2013 I became Head of Engineering & Architectural Studies at Ara.
Along the way, I was also the first STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) co-ordinator at CPIT, wrote a science blog, and managed department's through earthquakes, lockdowns (due to both pandemics and the mosque shootings) and challenged pseudoscientific information in collaboration with NZ Skeptics.
My time as HoD gave me an appreciation for the importance of effective leadership and management in organisations, and in 2021, I became a fulltime Masters student in the Industrial & Organisational Psychology programme at the University of Canterbury so I could devote time to understanding how organisations can effectively carry out their business while also allowing their employees to develop to make the most of their potential, i.e. how do they nurture their employees so that not only do they perform for the benefit of the organisation but also for the benefit of themselves.
My interests in psychology include self-motivation, well-being, effective leadership and management practices and effective learning and teaching practices.
I still work part-time at Ara teaching a pathway course in People and Learning Skills because I am also passionate about how we effectively prepare students for study so that they too can be nurtured to perform to the best of their ability.
Once I have completed my Masters programme I hope I will have the opportunity to work with organisations to help them to perform effective and to enhance the growth and development of their employees for the benefit of everyone.
And if you are wondering what the molecule is at the top of the page it is dopamine, the molecule associated with motivation, bridging my interests in chemistry and psychology.
Nurture the seed and it will blossom.
Hi there, thanks for stopping by.
I am a mature student studying the Masters in Industrial & Organisational Psychology here at the University of Canterbury.
My journey has been an interesting one. I completed a PhD in organic chemistry several decades ago, and spent about a decade synthesizing bioactive molecules, in particular enzyme inhibitors with medical applications, moving into teaching at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (now Ara Institute of Canterbury) while continuing to research bioactive molecules, including the analysis and extraction of natural products. In 2009 I began the move into management and in 2013 I became Head of Engineering & Architectural Studies at Ara.
Along the way, I was also the first STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) co-ordinator at CPIT, wrote a science blog, and managed department's through earthquakes, lockdowns (due to both pandemics and the mosque shootings) and challenged pseudoscientific information in collaboration with NZ Skeptics.
My time as HoD gave me an appreciation for the importance of effective leadership and management in organisations, and in 2021, I became a fulltime Masters student in the Industrial & Organisational Psychology programme at the University of Canterbury so I could devote time to understanding how organisations can effectively carry out their business while also allowing their employees to develop to make the most of their potential, i.e. how do they nurture their employees so that not only do they perform for the benefit of the organisation but also for the benefit of themselves.
My interests in psychology include self-motivation, well-being, effective leadership and management practices and effective learning and teaching practices.
I still work part-time at Ara teaching a pathway course in People and Learning Skills because I am also passionate about how we effectively prepare students for study so that they too can be nurtured to perform to the best of their ability.
Once I have completed my Masters programme I hope I will have the opportunity to work with organisations to help them to perform effective and to enhance the growth and development of their employees for the benefit of everyone.
And if you are wondering what the molecule is at the top of the page it is dopamine, the molecule associated with motivation, bridging my interests in chemistry and psychology.
Publications
Enantioselective Synthesis of α-Fluorinated β2-Amino Acids.
Michael K. Edmonds, Florian H. M. Graichen, James Gardiner, Andrew D. Abell
ChemInform, vol. 39(31), 2008 Jun 29
View all
This is where I will describe my 2022 thesis topic
This year I co-developed a new course, CSCP407 People & Learning Skills at Ara Institute of Canterbury to help prepare students who are pathwaying into degree and diploma programmes to succeed. The course focuses on developing intra- and interpersonal skills as well as learning skills.
