Student profiles
View student profiles from the School of Design Innovation and find out why they enjoy studying here.
Āwhina students
Meet some of the students who've been involved in the Āwhina programme and find out how it helped their study.
Tamati Kawha
Meet Tamati, a Master’s student who is honing his video production skills at Victoria University of Wellington.
Jess Noone
For Jess, Wellington was the perfect place to explore her creative side and get amongst the city’s inspiring design scene.
Nicole Hone
Find out how the Bachelor of Industrial Design course has helped Nicole grow as a designer.
Flavia Rose
Joining the School of Design Innovation as a BA graduate has led to some exciting opportunities for Flavia-Rose—including the chance to work at Weta Workshop.
Sean Harris
Sean enjoyed how his Bachelor’s course allowed him to put his study into practice.
Ellen Crane
Meet Ellen, a student with a passion for industrial design, and find out how that earned her a foot in the door at Weta Workshop.
Ryan Achten
The Master of Design Innovation course introduced Ryan to new design fields, including creative coding and 3D media.
James Irvine
For James, switching to design studies has led to exciting research opportunities and a career in interior architecture.
Rebecca Jervis
Meet Rebecca, a student with a passion for digital design, including animation, app and game design.
Molly Leishman
Molly has been inspired by the way her studies have brought her love of people and communities together with her creativity.
Jonathon Bishop
Jonathon's Master of Design Innovation thesis explored the way augmented reality can enrich our understanding of the world.
Dipanwity Biwas
Dipanwita Biswas, a postgraduate student from India, explored her identify through two cultural tropes.
Ana Morris
"I wanted to make objects with meaning and purpose."
Will Barber
Media Design alum, Will Barber uses skills he gained studying at the University's School of Design Innovation to create award-winning websites.
Steven Almond
MDes student, Steven Almond saw postgraduate study as a chance to expand his skill set and consider what the circular economy could mean for industrial design.
Katie O'Brien
After completing her undergraduate studies, Katie O’Brien knew she wanted to narrow the focus on something she was really passionate about in a Master’s degree.
Ananya Khare
Ananya Khare’s Master of Design research is exploring the use of textiles and craft in creating circular economies.
Daniel Gardner
In his Master’s project, Daniel explored how to illuminate the problem of plastic wrappers and waste through photography.
Alicia Esquivel
Alicia says studying in the Master of User Experience Design offered her the opportunity to learn the ropes and get into the industry quickly.
Carym Wharerau
Carym Wharerau hopes to use his degree in Communication Design to influence the design sector through a Māori/indigenous lens.
Regan Petrie
A love of technology, games, and being creative led Master of Design Innovation graduate Regan Petrie to study Design and helped him land his dream role at Lego
Christy Wells
While studying for her Master’s in Design Innovation, Christy was part of an international, multidisciplinary team designing an upright, head-only MRI system.
Camden Wright
Camden's passion for storytelling led him to the Master of Design Technology. Now, he uses his skills in VFX for his work at Weta Digital.
Joyce Kim
For Joyce, the Master of User Experience Design was the perfect way to get into the design industry, after a career in teaching with no formal design experience
Shaz Bell
First year Design Innovation student Shaz was a recipient of the Future Designers scholarship.
Aisha Iskanderani
Aisha Iskanderani’s experience as a mum was the motivation behind her PhD at the School of Design Innovation.
Laura Garcia
Award-winning designer-developer Laura Garcia has an artistic spirit. She was determined to ‘make it’ as a creative.