Yet despite his intimidating list of academic achievements, he’s totally relatable and will always take the time to sit with anyone who wants to shoot the breeze on science, technology, the arts, the environment and anything else that comes up. If time travel was feasible, Craig would take full advantage and use it to meet Charles Darwin. That conversation would be one to be a fly on the wall for.
Drawn to the intersections between science and other disciplines Craig believes that a significant component of our civilization’s future depends on the genomic revolution - where biotechnology will enable humans to restructure health, agriculture, medicine to improve our quality of life and reduce the impacts of chronic diseases, both in ourselves and the natural environment. Although he is also very sensitive to the ethical implications, and is a big reason why all programmes designed for academyEX include measured ethical considerations.
If you like big conversations, track Craig down for one, you’ll come away with your mind stretched in several directions.
In his role as National Academic Director for academyEX, Craig is instrumental in ensuring best in class academic quality and keeps everyone in check with regulatory requirements from education bodies such as the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) and NZQA.
On a day to day basis, Craig is never far from Hayley Sparks our National Academic Manager, or Frances Valintine, our founder.
The champion of academyEX teaching and learning strategy ‘Te Ara Kōtihi (the pathway to success), Craig is dedicated to ensuring students are supported through their learning journey with collaborative advice, industry connection yet the agency to bring themselves to the programme and achieve the vision they have for themselves, their workplace or their community.
Craig is also a subject matter expert on biotechnology, and introduces students on the Master of Technological Futures to how this technology provides a platform for disruption and change.
Before joining academyEX, Craig held research fellowships with the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Harvard Medical School (where he was also a paediatric oncologist) and the University of Massachusetts. He is a member of a number of arts and education boards and forums, including the Leonardo Education and Arts Forum (LEAF) and the Science Communicators Association of New Zealand.
Academic achievements:
PhD and MSc in Biochemistry, University of Otago
BScHons-1stClass, University of Otago
MFA, Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland
Certificate in Higher Education, Unitec