Personal Details
Dr Jordon Lima
University of Otago
About
Post-doctoral Fellow
Honorary Research Fellow
Dr Jordon Lima (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Ngāpuhi) is an Honorary Research Fellow at Mātai. Her work centres on improving cancer outcomes for communities in Te Tairāwhiti through innovative, community-led biomedical research. After completing her PhD, focused on cancer equity and circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), she was awarded the 2025 University of Otago Health Sciences Māori Postdoctoral Fellowship to establish a local molecular biology laboratory at Mātai. Her research explores the use of simple blood tests to detect cancers earlier by identifying ctDNA, aiming to provide accessible, affordable alternatives to traditional screening pathways such as colonoscopy.
Deeply grounded in kaupapa Māori approaches, Jordon prioritises partnership with whānau and local organisations, ensuring research is locally governed, culturally responsive, and directly beneficial to the communities it serves.