As the award winner, the Wellington researcher receives US$44,000 (NZ$66,000) from the EQC, and will soon be heading to the University of California, Berkeley, to complete a PhD in Geophysics and use that knowledge to help prepare her fellow Kiwis.
“During my graduate studies, I have realised how important understanding the fundamental geological forces driving these events is, and how this knowledge helps society better prepare for and mitigate the effects of natural disasters,” Lindsay said. “Some of the big questions facing New Zealand at the moment relate to the interactions of locked and slipping patches of the Hikurangi Subduction Zone, and how ruptures could propagate between them and their potential magnitudes.
“I want the research I complete to have a real impact on the society I live in,” the Victoria University student noted.
Meanwhile, EQC principal advisor resilience Hilary Blake said Lindsay’s research is a very important area of research for New Zealand, as slow slip earthquakes are involved in some of the country’s biggest risk areas, like the Hikurangi subduction zone.
“The more we can understand the link between slow slip events and larger earthquakes, the better information we can give communities to help prepare,” Blake added.
Fulbright also offers the science and innovation graduate award category – another way that New Zealanders can be supported to study sciences in the US, in addition to the prestigious EQC-funded research award. Applications for all New Zealand Graduate Awards, including the Fulbright-EQC Graduate Award in natural disaster research, close on August 01 annually.
