Supervision: Dr Patrick Vakaoti, Associate Professor Bryndl Hohmann-Marriott
Thesis: 'Do you speak Hindi'? The experiences of Indian immigrant students in New Zealand (working title)
Supriya immigrated to New Zealand in 2015 from Kerala, India. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Social Work from Indira Gandhi National Open University and a Master's in Social Work from Amrita University, India. She also holds university first rank for her Master's and received Junior Research Fellowship from the University Grants Commission of India. She began her PhD journey in 2019 and is a recipient of the Otago Doctoral Scholarship. Prior to her PhD, she worked as a social worker in India and worked in several fields after her immigration. Her research interest is migration, Indian settlement, culture, adolescent issues, and bullying.
Her research seeks to understand the school bullying experiences of Indian immigrant students in New Zealand. Through her research, Supriya aims to bring the voices of Indian students, which is often unheard in bullying research.