Ms Rocha (28) is comparing groups of people of mixed Chinese and European descent, in New Zealand and Singapore, for her PhD at the National University of Singapore.
The Wellington-raised second-year PhD student said that as the daughter of an Indian father, from Kenya, and a Kiwi mother, she was interested in people of mixed backgrounds.
Otago was of interest because of its history of Chinese immigration, and well-established Chinese community.
"I think that this creates a very different dynamic to Auckland, for example, where the Chinese population also counts a large number of very new immigrants.
"I'm hoping that this unique history will have meant that Chinese communities will have intermingled more significantly [in Otago] than elsewhere, and that there will be a large number of people who see themselves as belonging to both communities," Ms Rocha said.
The New Zealand and Singapore groups would provide an interesting comparison; both countries were culturally diverse with relatively good interaction between ethnic groups.
"People see themselves in very different ways, and it will be interesting to see what are the most important factors for people in their everyday lives - things like how they look, what languages they speak, how they feel they fit into the wider community, any experiences of prejudice, their religion, or even their parents' attitudes towards them."
Participants filled out an online survey, and if willing would be interviewed face-to-face in April or May.
Ms Rocha said research from the United States and United Kingdom had contradicted findings that people of mixed background were troubled, or torn between different groups.
"More recent research (from the late 1980s onwards) has challenged this, showing that people from mixed backgrounds often feel very connected to the cultures of both their parents, without necessarily feeling torn."
Ms Rocha hopes to find 50 participants in New Zealand.
