Tall Poppies

Tall poppy syndrome is one of New Zealand’s most crippling social norms: an individual who stands out based on intellige

nce, ability, talent, or ambition is viewed negatively. Tall poppy syndrome has become synonymous with pretentiousness. Unfortunately, the usual societal response is to ‘cut down’ tall poppies.

The Nedoma Lab seeks to

create a fertile garden environment that nurtures tall poppies. Every researcher has a unique set of capabilities; identifying an individual’s strengths allows us to cultivate them into a tall poppy. Promoting each researcher’s points-of-difference leads to a (mostly) harmonious lab culture where the specialization of tasks enhances the overall performance of the research group. As with plants in a garden, research groups function best symbiotically.

Want to be a tall poppy? Email Ali (a.nedoma<at>auckland.ac.nz) to enquire about vacancies within the  group.