STAR-LAB
BRIDGING RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
STARLAB STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS
DR. MARISSA KALOGA
STARlab Director & co-founder
Dr. Kaloga is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Otago in Aotearoa New Zealand. Her research focuses on inclusive entrepreneurship and social innovation, and their potential to enable transformative systems change to advance social, economic, and environmental justice. She is a board member of the International Consortium on Social Development, co-chair of the Aotearoa New Zealand Catalyst 2030 chapter, and leads the research subgroup of the Social Work Innovation Network. She completed her MSW in Community & Social Justice (2015) and PhD (2017) in Social Work with an interdisciplinary specialization in Global Health from The Ohio State University. She also holds degrees in International Development and Business Administration.
RASHA ABU SAFIEH
Transformation and Development, STARlab co-founder
Rasha is an Edmund Hillary Fellow with a mission to create a better world for the next generation, focusing on creating global impact from Aotearoa, New Zealand; she is Time Magazine's Next Generation Leader 2018; Co-Chair of New Zealand Chapter – Catalyst2030. In her practice work, she Co-founded GGateway, the first IT impact-sourcing social enterprise in Palestine, a successful business model - supported by UNRWA and the World Bank- that continues to create hundreds of jobs for youth and women helping in transforming their lives.
Rasha has a high diploma in Strategic Business Management from Harvard Business Publishing, certificates in digital transformation for leaders, Complex systems leadership, Emergent strategy and facilitation for System Change, and a degree in Information Systems Management.
RACHEL BUTLER
General Manager- Startup Dunedin
STARlab Ambassador
Rachel leads the Startup Dunedin Trust, a not-for-profit founded and funded by Dunedin City Council, Otago Polytechnic, and the University of Otago. Startup Dunedin exists to support anyone who aspires to start-up in Dunedin to succeed or fail faster. They run programs, drop-in sessions, and events for the wider community as well as supporting entrepreneurial research for the city
DR. KARLY BURCH
Research Fellow, Centre for Sustainability, University of Otago
STARlab Advisor - Inclusive Entrepreneurship
Dr. Karly is a Research Fellow, Centre for Sustainability, University of Otago. She specializes in feminist and anticolonial science and technology studies (STS), ethnographic methods, and collaborative research strategies, and her research agenda addresses questions of social and environmental justice related to health, food, and technology (in both disaster and design). Her current research projects explore the material politics of nuclear pollution, artificially intelligent robotics in agriculture, and collaborative research for sustainable technofutures. You can learn more about Karly and her research at the link below.
LILIAN VAIL
Program Manager, Capital Access at NYC's Department of Small Business Services
STARlab Advisor - Inclusive Entrepreneurship
Lilian is the Program Manager, Capital Access at NYC's Department of Small Business Services. She has 5 + years of experience working with small business financing and community development. Her focus is on increasing access to capital for minority-owned businesses and supporting the growth of non-traditional financing resources.
CHARLOTTE BREWER
Engagement co-ordinator, New Zealand Chapter - Catalyst 2030
Kia ora! Ko Charlotte toku ingoa, I am a sustainable business Master's student at the University of Otago, a part-time support worker, and an engaged member of the student environmental community. Aside from that, I'm passionate about facilitating collaboration, getting outdoors, and the performing arts
DR. ANDREA CLARK
Consultant, Emergence Hub
Research Associate - Inclusive Entrepreneurship
Dr. Clark is an experienced applied researcher and evaluator having worked for over 20 years with central government agencies, private businesses and not-for-profit organisations as a policy advisor and consultant in a range of sectors (e.g., social, health, justice, sustainability, education, sports). She specialises in participatory systems thinking approaches and cross-sector collaboration design and evaluation.