About Us
Tristan O'Hanlon Principal
Tristan is an award-winning teacher who has led physics students to national and international academic success.
His teaching career began at Auckland's St Peter's College in 2008 and he has since taken on numerous leadership
roles in secondary and tertiary education settings including deputy Head of Science at St Peter's College and
Coordinator of Senior Science at ACG Parnell College. Tristan has extensive experience with the NCEA and
CAIE (Cambridge Assessment International Education) curricula, with a long history of outstanding student achievement
in CAIE and NZQA Scholarship examinations. Tristan is heavily involved with the science and physics education
community in New Zealand, working alongside the NZ Institute of Physics in organising professional development and outreach opportunities.
In 2018, Tristan took up a Teaching Fellow role at the University of Auckland, lecturing in the Department of Physics and the School of Curriculum and Pedagogy, where he led major educational initiatives which improved the achievement of students entering the disciplines. His role saw him work closely with the Faculties of Engineering, Medical and Health Sciences and Education, with many of his students transitioning into these professional programmes. Tristan has a unique perspective when it comes to students transitioning from secondary to tertiary education.
From 2019 to 2021, Tristan was the undergraduate coordinator of the Auckland Programme for Space Systems, mentoring the student group which built the first satellite (outside Rocket Lab) that was launched into orbit from New Zealand.
From 2022, he took on the role of training the next generation of Science and Physics teachers, in partnership with the Faculty of Education and Social Work.
In 2022, Tristan was awarded the prestigious University of Auckland, Faculty of Science Award for Sustained Teaching Excellence. His teaching performance, measured through course grades, student satisfaction and impact of pedagogical initiatives, consistently exceeded the University standards.
In 2024, he was awarded the Rutherford Trophy by the New Zealand Institute of Physics. This trophy is awarded annually for innovation in physics education that enhances New Zealand students’ understanding of physics or participation in physics education, and shows a strong link to the teaching or practice of physics experiments.
Tristan has organised national physics events: the International Young Physicists Tournament, CERN Masterclass and the ChipSAT Hackathon. He has also led students on multiple international trips to institutes such as CERN, IBM, NASA JPL and top universities such as MIT, Harvard and EPFL.
Tristan's approach to education is grounded in solid routines, discipline, and high expectations, with his lessons packed with exciting physical demonstrations, deep and extended projects/experiments, and out of the classroom experiences to see science in action. Tristan has pioneered the use programming as an integrated skill being a part of all physics concepts so that students are using multiple skills to understand the world around them and learn industry practices around data analysis. These skills allow students to be industry and university ready. He believes that a strong education should allow students to follow their passion anywhere in the world.
Ben Himme Deputy Principal
Benjamin is a passionate Science teacher who has spent the last fifteen years teaching at some of New Zealand's highest performing schools. As well as having a
strong history of students achieving outstanding success in Scholarship Biology, Benjamin is a machine when it comes to education resource creation and is
known for his impressive self-built, science demonstrations and his beautifully curated biological specimen collection.
He is a former recipient of the Runner Up - New Zealand's Most Inspiring Teacher award, a national award based on student nominations.
Benjamin is the primary author of 'Pathwayz' a website for science educators and students that won
INTERFACE MAGAZINE's 'Best Digital Resource Award' in 2015. He has produced over 150 instructional science videos on YouTube, with over a million total lifetime views.
Benjamin has been an executive member of the Biology Educators of Aotearoa New Zealand(BEANZ) for over 7 years. In that time, he served as a committee member and chairperson for several science fairs. Benjamin's students have had significant success in The New Zealand Scholarship Biology examinations, the New Zealand International Biology Olympiad and FIRST TECH robotics competitions - his junior robotics team is representing New Zealand at the 2024 FIRST Global Challenge in Athens, Greece.
Lara Collier Acidemic Board Member
My name is Lara Collier, I am a guidance, navigation, and control engineer for Rocket Lab. During my high school years I took a keen interest in mathematics and physics, and decided early on in my schooling journey that rockets and space were my thing. With that relentless goal in mind, I pursued a conjoint degree in engineering and psychology at the University of Auckland and graduated with a job at Rocket Lab, where I now design orbital trajectories for rocket launches! Outside of that, I am an avid champion for gender equity in STEM, so I am a founding member and have served on the committee of Women In Space Aotearoa New Zealand, a professional network of women working in the space sector in New Zealand. As part of this network, we engage with women who work and want to work in the space sector, alongside outreach and inspiration events for the younger generations of space nerds. It is my absolute pleasure to be on the board of academic advisors for The Academy, where I hope to foster drive, curiosity, and passion in STEM subjects for West Auckland kids like me.
Lizzy Grant Acidemic Board Member
Lizzy Grant is a mechanical engineer specialising in high-voltage batteries for supercars at McLaren Automotive. Originally from Auckland, New Zealand, Lizzy moved to the UK in 2021 after completing her degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Physics at the University of Auckland. She gained valuable experience as a leader in the university's Formula SAE team, which contributed to her receiving the prestigious Bruce McLaren Automotive Award and an internship at McLaren. Lizzy's role at McLaren blends technical expertise and project management, where she is responsible for the specification, design, and testing of high-voltage battery systems. She is passionate about staying at the forefront of emerging technologies and encourages young women to pursue and persist in engineering careers.
Jonathan Rogers Board of Directors
Jonathan Rogers is the co-founder and managing director of Grinding Gear Games, creator of the massively popular and successful Action RPG Path of Exile (on Steam). Jonathan developed the Path of Exile game engine in C++ and Direct X and continues to be an avid programmer, managing and working with some of the world's best game developers and artists at his company.
Sam Crookes Board of Directors
Sam Crookes is the director of Warp Speed Computers, providing software development and IT services for businesses worldwide since 2004. Sam specialises in finding innovative solutions to complex problems involving technology, and he is passionate about science and education.
Sam is a long-standing sponsor of the International Young Physicists Tournament and supports the New Zealand team at the annual competition.