Our Bloggers

James Zuccollo

Writes for: The Dismal Science

James Zuccollo is a senior economist for UK consultancy Reform. He leads Reform’s economic research and has co-authored reports on monetary policy, fiscal institutions, and education funding among others. He has appeared on the BBC Today programme and written widely in the online and print media, including City AM, Prospect, The New Statesman, Public Finance, and The Guardian. Prior to Reform he was an economist at the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) where he published work on economic impact assessment, regulatory reform, and the value of tertiary education. James is on Twitter @jzuccollo

Jamie Steer

Writes for: So Shoot Me

Dr Jamie Steer is interested in exploring and challenging current attitudes to biodiversity and conservation in New Zealand. He is particularly keen on spotlighting the assumptions behind our understandings of acceptable and unacceptable wildlife, and considering how these might come to change.

Jean Balchin

Writes for: A History of NZ Science in 25 Objects

Jean Balchin is an English Literature Honours student at the University of Otago, Dunedin. When she's not busy painting, playing the piano or writing essays on Robert Burns, you can find her curled up with a recently published book on science. Alternatively, she'll be bugging her flatmates about their recent findings.

John Pickering

Writes for: Kidney Punch

Dr John Pickering is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch and a Senior Research Fellow in Acute Care in the Emergency Department of Christchurch hospital. John aims to blog on science, health, and occasionally political issues. He believes publicly funded science should be made public - so publishes regular "cheesecake files" about his own research. John is on Twitter @kiwiskinz

Julie Iles

Writes for:

Julie Iles is a post graduate science journalist currently studying at Massey University in Wellington. She has a background in geophysics, and enjoys feeling small and young when she compares herself to geological formations. @o_OJulay

Ken Perrott

Writes for: Open Parachute

Dr Ken Perrott trained as a chemist and his research background is in surface chemistry, soil science and fertiliser chemistry. After working in the DSIR (Chemistry Division and Soil Bureau), MAF, MAFTech and AgResearch he is now retired. Ken enjoys discussion of the wider social and philosophical issue surrounding science. Unfortunately these issues are often misrepresented in our society and he believe scientists have a responsibility to counter unscientific thinking and movements. This is one of the reasons Ken got into blogging, starting up Open Parachute in the middle of 2007.

Kimberley Collins

Writes for: Up and Atom

Kimberley is a science communicator with a background in ecology and conservation. Her lifelong passion for wildlife has taken her around New Zealand, to Antarctica, the SubAntarctic Islands and other offshore sanctuaries. Her original career in conservation biology was diverted when a stint working in public programmes at Waikato Museum persuaded Kimberley that communicating science was what she wanted to do. She completed a Masters in Science Communication at Otago University, researching how scientists use social media to communicate. Since completing her studies, Kimberley has worked with a range of conservation organisations as a communicator. She spent a year working at ZEALANDIA in Wellington and most recently at Forest & Bird as their online communications coordinator. In her spare time, Kimberley runs an outreach programme called Pop Up Science, which takes science beyond the walls of institutions by popping up with exhibits for children to engage with.