Dr Maree Martinussen is an interdisciplinary scholar whose research bridges gender studies, identity studies and higher education equity. Her work focusses on understanding the complex experiences of historically underrepresented students throughout their academic journeys, with particular emphasis on those from working-class, low socioeconomic, and first-in-family backgrounds pursuing higher degrees. Drawing on qualitative methodologies that foreground embodied and affective experiences, Dr. Martinussen also examines how diverse racial identities intersect with working-class experiences in higher education settings. Her research is enriched by her lived experience as a first-in-family researcher and her Māori heritage  (Te Aitanga a Māhaki and Rongowhakaata).