We're delighted to announce this year's Future Thinker of the Year shortlist: Oluwatobi Oyefusi, Elizabeth Norris, Widi Auliagisni, Francisco Carbajal, Ryan Simpson, and Mike Murray.
We’ve been blowen away by the passion and dedication each applicant shows in creating better outcomes in the built environment through their mahi.
The candidate’s applications and video submissions will be considered by our panel of independent judges who will decide a final four to present at our award evening on April 30th.
Oluwatobi Oyefusi
Oluwatobi Nurudeen Oyefusi, a current PhD Candidate at the Wellington School of Architecture, excelled at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, graduating with first-class honours in Quantity Surveying. Ranking third in his department's 2016 cohort, he transitioned his academic prowess into practical expertise as a quantity surveyor across diverse construction sectors. Oluwatobi’s passion for research is evident through his role as a peer reviewer for esteemed journals and international conferences. Currently focused on transitioning from sustainable to regenerative design principles, his research aims to measure the built environment's performance in repairing both natural and human systems, advancing sustainability in construction.
Elizabeth Norris
Elizabeth is an Architecture Graduate working for Design and Make Architects remotely in Christchurch. She has been working closely with her husband, an LBP and natural builder to design better buildings and to teach others in the community about local materials that are low embodied carbon and sequestering, particularly strawbale building techniques, where the strawbales are local agricultural biproducts. Day to day, she is passionate about energy modelling, and calculating emissions in buildings, as well as reducing waste starting with good design thinking and implementation. Elizabeth is also recently a certified Passive House Designer and Homestar Assessor.
Widi Auliagisni
Widi is pursuing her PhD at Massey University's School of Built Environment. Growing up in Indonesia, a country prone to various natural hazards, she developed a passion for resilient architecture and disaster management. Her research focuses on community resilience to natural hazards and sustainability, particularly in the New Zealand Northland district, where she works closely with at-risk communities to enhance flood resilience. Concurrently, Widi works as an assistant project manager at Beca Ltd., contributing to pioneering projects in collaboration with the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). Her professional journey highlights her commitment to developing practical solutions with a sound theoretical background, empowering communities to mitigate risks and thrive amidst adversity.
Francisco Carbajal
Growing up on Waiheke Island installed a deep bond with nature and sustainability in Francisco. This allegiance was strengthened during his time at the University of Newcastle in Australia, with influences such as Richard Leplastrier and Peter Stutchbury. Upon entering the industry, Francisco experienced the challenge between sustainability ideals and industry practices. Determined to bridge this gap, he pursued a master's degree, focusing on ways to support change. During his studies, he founded Capana Group, enabling him to confront these challenges head-on with projects such as LCAlink. In combination with building Capana Group, Francisco has dedicated himself to teaching at universities, nurturing the next generation of future leaders.
Ryan Simpson
Ryan is a proud Samoan New Zealander who grew up in Samoa but moved to New Zealand for school at 12 years old. This was extremely challenging but one that he doesn’t regret. In 2017, Ryan became the first person in his family to attend university where he completed a Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Building Science and Master of Architectural Science. His journey to date would be described as adaptive and fluid. His interests are game fishing, gym, mountain walks and reading. Seeing the impacts of climate change to the pacific sparks Ryan’s interest in influencing change.
Mike Murray
Mike recently completed his Master of Architecture (Professional) at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington. He prioritised sustainability throughout his studies and during his thesis year, he actively pushed definitions of what an architecture thesis should look like. Mike’s passion for sustainability extends beyond architecture, with conservation and native wildlife being major passions. While studying, he undertook a range of student representative roles, including a year as co-president of STUDiO, the student representative group for the Faculty of Architecture and Design. Mike has tutored well over 100 undergraduate students during his studies.