UC academic appointed to Fulbright Board

University of Canterbury academic Dr Travis Horton has been appointed a director of the Fulbright New Zealand Board.

Dr Horton’s appointment to the 12–member board was announced by the US Ambassador to New Zealand David Huebner.

“I am delighted that Dr Travis Horton has accepted the invitation to join the Fulbright Board,” said Ambassador Huebner.

“As a highly regarded senior lecturer in environmental geochemistry at Canterbury University, Dr Horton will join my first two board appointments – Dr Harlene Hayne (eminent research psychologist and vice chancellor of Otago University) and Dr Scott Optican (professor of law at Auckland University) – in grounding the board firmly in academia."

"On a more personal note, Dr Horton's energy, enthusiasm, and excellent reputation among students will certainly enhance our already dynamic board."

Dr Horton, who has been on staff at the University since 2007, said the appointment came “very much out of the blue”.

“Although Ambassador Huebner’s call was unexpected, I am confident that my transdisciplinary expertise will be an asset to the board.

“It is a great honour to serve Fulbright New Zealand, and I look forward to doing my part in facilitating world-class teaching and research in both New Zealand and the US.”

Dr Horton, originally from Connecticut, USA, is an earth system scientist who specialises in the use of stable isotopes as proxies and tracers of natural processes and conditions. He is Director of UC’s state-of-the-art stable isotope analytical facility and has been published in leading international journals on a variety of topics ranging from polar bears to humpback whales, and from the uplift of mountains to climate change.

The New Zealand-United States Educational Foundation (known as Fulbright New Zealand since 1999) was established in 1948 to promote international understanding through educational and cultural exchanges between New Zealand and the United States. Fulbright administers a range of awards for New Zealanders and Americans wanting to study and research in each other's country.