Marketer gets big tick from peers and students
20 October 2011
Senior lecturer in marketing Dr Ekant Veer is winning accolades for both his research and teaching.
Dr Ekant Veer (right) with Professor Les Oxley after receiving his College of Business and Economics Early Career Researcher Award.
Senior lecturer in marketing Dr Ekant Veer is winning accolades for both his research and teaching.
Dr Veer has been awarded the College of Business and Economics’ Early Career Researcher Award for 2011, which follows hot on the heels of his UCSA award for Overall Lecturer of the Year for 2011.
Dr Veer joined UC from the University of Bath in 2010. His primary areas of interest are social marketing and transformative consumer research, with much of his work looking at how marketing and advertising can encourage healthy living, citizenship within society, body esteem and self-expression.
Dr Veer said it was “extremely humbling and rewarding” to receive the emerging researcher award judged by his peers.
“It’s great to have because it says I’m on the right track. I want to be a world-class researcher and I like the idea that it is an award for researchers at the start of their careers, as I don’t feel I’ve achieved anything yet.
“In 10 years time come and talk to me and see if I’ve reached my goals. In the meantime this is a good pat on the back to encourage me,” he said.
Dr Veer, whose latest research into the voyeuristic behaviour of Facebook users has attracted a lot of interest, believes every bit of research should have a bit of “mesearch” in it – something personal that drives your passion for a topic.
He said both recent awards meant a great deal to him.
“At heart I am a researcher. I’m here to do high-quality research. However, knowing that my teaching, which stems a lot from my research and is research-driven, is having an impact on students is hugely rewarding as well.
“I like the UCSA lecturer of the year system as it is voted for by the people who are sitting there listening to me. It’s very humbling to know students enjoy my style. I am not a nice teacher. I will yell at my students if they’re not working hard enough and will push them to the edge of their ability to stretch them to be better. And that works.”
Dr Veer said he was not the type of teacher to give students everything on a plate but what he strove to give them was “the ability to learn for themselves”.
“I think it’s not hard to be a good lecturer when you’ve got a good topic and I think it’s not hard to be a good lecturer when you’re passionate about your topic. If you’re passionate about what you do then it will show to the people watching you and listening to you.”
For further information contact:
Maria De Cort
Communications Officer
Communications & External Relations
DDI: +64 3 364 2072
Mobile: +64 27 299 0741
maria.decort@canterbury.ac.nz
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