Fulbright study State-side

• Published date: 21 July 2022
• Publication title: Guardian, The

The Palmerston North resident will head to the University of California, Riverside, to research how climate change is affecting women’s reproductive decisions as part of her PhD in psychology

She is overjoyed to have received a Fulbright NZ General Graduate Award.

“Climate change is happening all the time and it’s texturing our lives in complex ways. We need research which will help us to understand the psychological and emotional impacts of the environmental crises we’re living through.”

Meynell started her journey with Massey doing her undergraduate study on the Auckland campus, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and history in 2012.

After deciding to continue with postgraduate study, completing her honours in 2017, Meynell says Massey offered the most exciting research and supervision opportunities in her chosen field.

“My experience at Massey has been wonderful, combining creative research with scholarship support, and professional development opportunities. I’ve been able to work with an incredible group of women scholars in the School of Psychology, who have enabled me to undertake feminist psychological research on a range of critical issues, including my PhD research on the intersection of feminist, psychological, and environmental issues,” she says.

“I also did part of my postgrad via distance, and am now based on the Manawatū campus, so I have appreciated the flexibility Massey offers.”

She completed her master’s in psychology in 2020.

At the University of California, she will be working with Associate Professor Jade Sasser, one of...