Fulbright success for young researchers
Lily van Eeden聽from the聽Faculty of Science听补苍诲听Dougal Robinson聽from the聽United States Studies Centre聽have been awarded the prestigious scholarships to undertake further study in the United States.
Reciprocally, the University welcomes Fulbright Distinguished Chair, Professor聽Jean Lau Chin聽from the Derner Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies at聽聽in New York.
The scholarships are administered by the Australian-American Fulbright Commission to foster educational exchange between host countries and the United States.
Lily van Eeden: Fulbright NSW Postgraduate Scholar
Lily van Eeden is the聽. Her study of the dingo and its relationship to, and impact on, Australia鈥檚 ecosystem and farming economy is the focus of a major research project to address the cost to the industry of around聽.
Lily van Eeden
鈥淭here鈥檚 an idea that Australian farmers are at war with the dingo, which threatens their livestock and their livelihoods but the 鈥榳ar鈥� has not been successful to date, despite managing the issue for more than 200 years. In fact, the problem shows signs of worsening,鈥� said Ms van Eeden.
Lily鈥檚 research explores new ways to address the issue of Australia鈥檚 largest indigenous terrestrial mammal by focusing on the human dimensions of management: the farmers.
Lily accepts her NSW Postgraduate Scholarship from , Peter de Cure.
Lily will conduct comparative research looking at how Australian-American predator management systems differ by asking how farmers make decisions, who influences their choices, and what role public opinion might play in the future.
鈥淭here鈥檚 so much I can learn from working with these researchers to bring home and expand the field in Australia. It will open up a world of possibilities to improve conservation and wildlife management in Australia in the future.鈥�
Lily will collaborate with the聽聽at the聽, comparing the Australian and American contexts and providing an opportunity to learn from the experiences of ranchers who live alongside large predators such as wolves, mountain lions, and bears.
鈥淎ustralia remains a long way behind America in research into the social science side of wildlife management and conservation. The Fulbright Scholarship is invaluable to furthering our understanding of human and wildlife conflict.鈥�
Dougal Robinson: Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar
Dougal Robinson is a Research Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Defence Program at the聽, employed on secondment from the聽聽(DFAT) where he鈥檚 been working on the US-Australia bilateral relationship, US foreign policy, and the US Congress.
聽has been awarded to Dougal to further work he began while working at DFAT in the area of Australia鈥檚 bilateral relationship with both the United States and China.
Dougal Robinson
鈥淨uestions about the US alliance and rise of China underpin a bipolar national debate on issues that pit Canberra between Washington and Beijing,鈥� Dougal said.
鈥淔ederal cabinets are typically divided on Australia鈥檚 China policy, Chinese investment in Australia, and whether Australia should join the US in challenging assertive Chinese behaviour in our region.鈥�
Dougal will undertake a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies, International Economics and Indonesian language at聽聽(SAIS) in Washington DC where he will examine US-China strategic and economic competition in Asia.
鈥淢y studies will focus on military and economic competition between the US and China, which will have a major impact on Australia鈥檚 national security and prosperity.
鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled to have the opportunity to spend the next two years at SAIS, deepening my understanding of the key trends in the Indo-Pacific region, which is home to a majority of the world鈥檚 population, its largest and fastest growing economies, an arms race, and a destabilizing security outlook.鈥澛�
Professor Jean Lau Chin
鈥淥ver the course of my career, I noticed a disconnect when it came to cultural differences in the populations we served,鈥� said Professor Chin.
鈥淲e had never received training in how to work with diverse populations in ways that were relevant and sensitive to their needs or how they viewed the world.鈥�
Professor Chin has worked in leadership roles in academia as Dean at Adelpi University and at Alliant International University, and is widely on diversity, cultural competence, leadership, Asian American, and women鈥檚 issues. She has worked professionally in health and mental health care in a number of executive roles and as a board member.
鈥淗ere at Sydney, I can see genuine support and vision for culture change coming from the highest level. It鈥檚 not just an emphasis on numbers, symbols or flags, or on the one-shot kind of training; it鈥檚 about building cultural competence into the system and integrating it into the business of the institution. It frames a vision for the entire University.鈥�
About the Fulbright Commission
Established in 1946 in a post-WWII climate of rebuilding international relations by Senator William J Fulbright, has since awarded more than 370,000 Fulbright Scholarships including 5,000 since its inception in Australia 1949.
