Colleen Ward

Colleen Ward is a Professor at the Centre for Applied Cross-cultural Research and Psychology at Victoria University of Wellington, where she received her PhD in Psychology from the University of Durham in 1977. Ward's research covers acculturation theory and measurement, migrant adaptation, multicultural identity, and the psychosocial well-being of immigrant and minority populations. Recent work has extended into digitally mediated acculturation, examining how mobile phones and social media shape the experiences of migrants, as well as efforts to incorporate Indigenous and Māori perspectives into acculturation science through decolonial approaches. Ward has also contributed to research on cross-cultural competence, normative multiculturalism, and the conditions that support successful plural societies.