Three 2025 Woolf Fisher Scholars announced

September 29, 2025: Three New Zealand students have been awarded prestigious Woolf Fisher Scholarships to undertake doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge.

Universities New Zealand is proud to announce this year’s recipients, who will take up study at Cambridge in the areas of 2D materials, computational biophysics, and multi-modal AI.

This year’s winners are:

Alex Barnes

Researching 2D materials, “the final frontier for miniaturisation of materials”, is the plan for Alex Barnes.

Having just completed a BSc (Hons) with First Class Honours at the University of Auckland, Alex intends to undertake a PhD at Cambridge in 2D Materials of Tomorrow, at the Centre of Doctoral Training in 2D Materials of Tomorrow.

“I have always been interested in condensed matter and materials physics as it explains how the behaviour of atoms translates to material properties at a macroscopic level.

“This understanding of materials can then be used to design smaller transistors leading to more powerful computers, more efficient catalysts reducing energy consumption, batteries with more capacity and so much more.”

Alex hopes to return to New Zealand after his studies and time as a post-doctoral fellow to work as an academic and one day have his own lab. The materials he studies will impact every aspect of society, he says, and he hopes to one day help New Zealand be world-leading in this area of research.

Zillah Daysh

Computational Biophysics, where computer simulations based on physical and chemical laws are developed to help us understand the invisible world within cells, is Zillah Daysh's passion. 

Having just completed a Master of Science at the University of Auckland, Zillah plans to undertake a PhD in Chemistry at the Yuseg Hamied Department of Chemistry at Cambridge.

“The ability to visualise atomistic relationships to either answer collaborators' queries regarding their experimental findings, or the fundamental questions of biological function and dysfunction, is utterly addictive,” she says.

It also offers future possibilities for commercialisation, in areas such as drug discovery but also in environmental science.

“Ideally, I see myself returning after my PhD or post-doctoral experience to found a new start-up based upon the partnership between computational biophysics and experimental biology.

“I hope to pioneer a stronger relationship between the academic and industry universes and inspire more women across New Zealand to enter traditionally male-dominated computational fields. Being able to unravel the secrets of complex biophysical interactions and translate these into tools to help our planet would be a life-changing opportunity.”

Dr Christopher Mayo

Dr Mayo, who qualified as a medical doctor from the University of Auckland in 2022, is currently working towards a Master of Science degree in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Waikato.

He intends to complete his PhD at Cambridge in the area of multimodal AI for medical data, likely studying in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics.

“Massive volumes of image data are generated by healthcare facilities every single day, whether that be in the form of radiology scans, histology slides, blood films, or photographic records.

“I intend to help develop new approaches towards analysing medical imaging data, leveraging my previous medical experience to ensure my work remains relevant and useful for clinicians.”

Dr Mayo hopes to be able to work as both a doctor and an academic in the future. In his PhD he wants to be involved in creating AI models that improve diagnostics and treatment plans, noting that AI models that can read images quickly, such as X-rays and retinal scans, can speed up clinical workflow and ensure more timely referrals and treatment. Considering safety, ethics and equity of the intersection of medicine and AI is an important component, he notes.

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The Woolf Fisher Trust

Chair of the Woolf Fisher Trust and the scholarship selection committee, Mark Robinson said, “Every year the trustees are profoundly impressed by the calibre of applicants for the Woolf Fisher Scholarship, and this year was no exception. All shortlisted applicants were remarkable in their own way but our successful candidates stood out for their passion and work at the forefront of new technologies which we believe will bring important long-term benefits for New Zealand.”

Sir Woolf Fisher (1912–75) was co-founder of Fisher and Paykel and set up the trust in 1960 for the advancement of scientific and general education in New Zealand.