Dr Stephen Hill

Dr Stephen Hill PhD, is an Associate Professor and Doctoral Supervisor in the School of Psychology at Massey University. He is a cognitive psychologist and conducts research in four overlapping areas: embodied/distributed cognitive science, environmental stressors, climate change psychology, and the scientific knowledge and lay cognition.  Much of his work has been done in multidisciplinary teams with researchers from the fields of physiology, nutrition, sport science, emergency management, and aviation. Stephen Hill has a huge passion and interest in the teaching of Psychology at Secondary School. He has been a key member of the New Zealand Association of Psychology Teachers for many years and has worked closely with us to strengthen the association.

Dr Natasha Tassell-Matamua

Dr Natasha Tassell-Matamua PhD,  Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at Massey University and Director of the Centre for Indigenous Psychologies in New Zealand. She is of Indigenous Māori, Cook Islands and European descent. Natasha’s primary research interests include cultural psychology and near-death studies. In cultural psychology, Natasha is particularly interested in the application of psychological principles to indigenous peoples, indigenous ethics, and kaupapa Māori psychology. In her publications she has tackled the topic of how universal codes of ethics/declarations can undermine efforts to be culturally sensitive. Natasha’s focus on indigenous psychology has resulted in invitations to contribute to international conferences. Natasha’s writing on near-death experiences demonstrates her breadth of research skills and her ability to situate findings in relation to Māori beliefs about death and the afterlife. She has been praised for the rigorous nature of her work and her relating of her findings to international research.

Dr Matt Williams 

Dr Matt Williams PhD,  completed his graduate studies and postgraduate studies at Massey University where he obtained his Bachelor of Business Studies, Graduate Diploma in Arts, Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. His primary interest is in the use of quantitative research methods in the social sciences, especially in how psychological research methods can be used to study the relationship between human behaviour and climate change. Matt is a member of the Affect, Cognition and Environment (ACE) research cluster at Massey University. The cluster is made up of academics and students in the School of Psychology who conduct research in the areas of affect/emotion, cognition, and environmental psychology. He has a particular interest in climate change research and open science. His research interests are focused on two main topics - metapsychology and methodology. In particular, he investigates the assumptions underlying statistical analyses, and how we can improve the transparency and replicability of research in psychology, and misinformation.