Students showcase their human rights knowledge

The Australian Human Rights Institute’s Global Student Fellowship program celebrates its fifth year. 

Chancellor Warwick Negus and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education & Student Experience) Professor Sarah Maddison joined UNSW students to celebrate the Australian Human Rights Institute’s Global Student Fellowship program, now in its fifth year. The students had recently returned from human rights and international development work. 
 
At an event hosted by Gilbert + Tobin in Sydney, students who had completed the program spoke about their experiences. In their wide-ranging development work, they were able to bring their knowledge of law, medicine, engineering and social sciences to organisations including Human Rights Watch, the World Food Programme and Engineers Without Borders. 
 
“We’re delighted to be able to offer so many students this important opportunity. The fellowship gives our students valuable, paid experience and a network of contacts working in human rights, both within Australia and around the world,” said Professor Justine Nolan, Director of the Australian Human Rights Institute.

The 2025 Global Student Fellowship recipients 

A record 24 UNSW students received a 2025 Global Student Fellowship to support them during a six-week paid placement with a leading human rights or international development organisation. The program is highly competitive, with more than 200 applications from across all UNSW faculties received last year. Along with philanthropic donations, the Australian Human Rights Institute partnered with the Disability Innovation Institute, ADA, Engineering, Law & Justice, and Medicine & Health in 2025 to support an increase in fellowship places in response to its growing popularity with students. 
 
Advaita Nitturkar is a 2025 Global Student Fellow and one of four female Engineering students selected to join Engineers Without Borders in locations including Cambodia and Timor-Leste.   
 
“I feel incredibly grateful to be part of the Australian Human Rights Institute’s fellowship with Engineers Without Borders in Cambodia,” she said.   
 
“Throughout my degree, I’ve shaped my studies around my passion for humanitarian engineering and development work, and all of it has led me to this opportunity. It’s the perfect chance to put these learnings into practice through purpose-driven engineering, working alongside local communities, which I am very excited for.”

Kick-starting a career 

For past fellowship recipients, the program has been the start of a career in advocacy, policy work and research in human rights and development organisations, including the UN Mission in Kosovo and the World Bank in New York.   
 
"The fellowship was instrumental in my successful recruitment to the World Bank’s Young Professionals Program," said 2023 Global Student Fellow Alina Malyk. 
 
"I was selected to join the Social Development global unit, and my role will be focusing on integrating human rights principles within the World Bank’s operations. The fellowship gave me a distinctive edge, and I am deeply grateful for this opportunity that opened doors to this exciting chapter of my career.”

Applications for the 2026-27 Global Student Fellowship open mid-year. For more information, visit the Australian Human Rights Institute website.

Watch the video:

Image: Chancellor Warwick Negus, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education & Student Experience) Professor Sarah Maddison, Professor Justine Nolan, Director of the Australian Human Rights Institute, and Professor Andrew Lynch, Dean of Law & Justice, celebrate with Global Student Fellowship recipients.