Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research

01/09/2026

The peopling of Remote Oceania involved some of humanity’s greatest expansions into the open ocean. Ancient DNA spanning the last 3,000 years from the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, and Tonga reveals the sources and timing of dispersals following the initial settlement and uncovers social practices of an early
Fijian community that experienced recent Papuan-related gene flow.
ACPIR researcher Professor Patrick Nunn was a co-author of the new paper published in Cell Journal. Prof Nunn said the study was exciting for anyone interested in the settlement history of the Pacific Islands.
"We find that the Papuan-related expansion proceeded at a slower pace than the earlier Lapita-associated expansion and reached Fiji through at least two distinct human dispersals, centuries earlier than previously suggested.”
Read now: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2026.07.044


📄 Feldman, M., Arauna, L.R., Carlhoff, S., Naegle, K., Radzeviciute, R., Drucker, D., Nunn, P.D., Nakoro, E., Kiko, L., Gibbs, M., Rechtman, R.B., Flexner, J., Zinger, W., Willie, E., Shing, R., Kuautonga, T., Moser, J., Gresky, J., Bedford, S., Clark, G., Burley, D.V., Buckley, H.R., Kinaston, R.L., Valentin, F., Powell, A., Krause, J. and Posth, C. 2026. Ancient genomes reveal distinct human dispersals and social stratification in the settlement history of western Remote Oceania. Cell Journal. DOI:10.1016/j.cell.2026.07.044

31/08/2026

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste: Getting over the Fiscal Cliff with Dr Shannon Brincat
Presented by the Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research
September 16 at 12.30pm AEST
See poster for details and register to attend:
da1a0084-5338-455d-aaa1-c36ba3fe5abd@93b0ec50-fc3f-47ed-9345-9ffc6012541c" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/da1a0084-5338-455d-aaa1-c36ba3fe5abd@93b0ec50-fc3f-47ed-9345-9ffc6012541c

31/08/2026

The Oceanic Nutrition Leadership Platform (ONLP) invites early and mid-career nutrition professionals from across Oceania to apply for the fifth ONLP 2027 Leadership Course, being held in Nadi, Fiji, June 19 - 26.

The immersive experience is designed to strengthen leadership capability, expand regional networks and develop practical skills to support positive change and contribute to a stronger nutrition future for Oceania. Applications are open and will close on October 11. Find out more and apply at onlp.org

25/08/2026

ACPIR director Professor Steven Underhill visited Kyoto for the International Horticulture Congress (IHC 2026), where he presented two papers in the International symposium on recent advances in horticulture in east Asia, south east Asia, and the Pacific.
Prof Underhill presented on 15 years of research to support citrus production in Tonga - highlighting the initiative undertaken in close partnership with Tongan colleagues that has increased domestic citrus production 5-fold since 2019. Prof Underhill also presented research on fruit industry development in Fiji - co-authored by Dr Shalendra Prasad who is an ACPIR adjunct, UniSC PhD alumni and Fiji Government Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways Crops Research Division director). IHC2026 is the show-case event for the international horticulture research community - with around 3000 attendees, 27 concurrent symposia and more 80 countries attending.

24/08/2026

24/08/2026

ACPIR was proud to sponsor the Crawford Fund for Food Security Annual Conference 2026, held in Canberra earlier this month.
The conference explored Emerging Voices Shaping Regional Integration for a Food Secure World, highlighting the critical role of collaboration, innovation and agricultural research in strengthening food and nutrition security across the Indo-Pacific.
ACPIR PhD candidate Amalya Harding presented a poster and attended as a Crawford Fund scholar.
"The conference provides a space for people across disciplines, sectors and nations who are working towards a shared goal, to come together to share knowledge, connect and forge collaborative relationships,” Amalya said.
"Beyond this, the conference program is deeply informative and focused on engagement and support for early career researchers."
"The support of the Crawford Fund has helped me to expand my knowledge, skills and networks beyond my PhD and has acted as a springboard for me to re-enter the research and development space after maternity leave."
In the conference's final session, MORDI Tonga Trust CEO and ACPIR adjunct Associate Professor Soane Patolo presented Community-Led Development: A Pacific Model for Regional Food Security and Climate Resilience.
ACPIR was proud to support this important forum and contribute to conversations that advance evidence-based solutions for a more resilient and food-secure future for the Pacific.
Learn more: https://www.crawfordfund.org/events/2026-conference/speakers-chairs-moderators/soane-patolo/

17/08/2026

University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) and Mainstreaming of Rural Development Innovation MORDI Tonga Trust have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration on research, capacity building and community-led development initiatives across Tonga and the wider Pacific region.
The partnership brings together UniSC's Pacific research expertise, delivered through the Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research (ACPIR), with MORDI Tonga Trust's deep community networks, development experience and long-standing commitment to improving livelihoods in rural and outer island communities of Tonga. The parties have agreed to work together on research initiatives focused on some of the Pacific's key priorities, including climate resilience, food security, sustainable agriculture, community wellbeing, disaster preparedness and economic development.
MORDI Tonga Trust has spent almost two decades working with communities across Tonga to strengthen livelihoods, build resilience and support locally led development. MORDI Tonga Trust’s presence across the Kingdom's islands brings invaluable relationships, practical experience and traditional knowledge that will ensure future research is co-designed to be relevant, inclusive and impactful.
Further collaboration will create new opportunities that will build on our productive partnership with joint research projects, student engagement, knowledge exchange activities, co-authored publications and the development of evidence-based solutions informed by research and Pacific knowledge systems. UniSC Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Professor Ross Young said the MoU represents action and shared goals to help Pacific communities thrive.�“We are conscious in our position as Australia’s youngest public university, that we seek to grow relationships with key partners built on trust,” Prof Young said. “And how we use the research we’re generating to help solve real problems.”
MORDI Tonga Trust board of trustees chairman Dr Vili 'Apifo'ou Fuavao said MORDI Tonga Trust and UniSC had a working relationship spanning more than 15 years.
“This is another step in affirming our existing partnership,” Dr Fuavao said. �
The MoU between MORDI Tonga Trust and UniSC was formalised at a signing ceremony at UniSC's Sunshine Coast campus on August 13. The signing ceremony was attended by representatives from UniSC, ACPIR and MORDI Tonga Trust and signed by MORDI Tonga Trust board of trustees chairman Dr Vili 'Apifo'ou Fuavao and UniSC DVC (Research and Innovation) Professor Ross Young.

17/08/2026

Our team were thrilled to host teams from Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa, MORDI Tonga Trust, Fiji National University, and Solomon Islands National University last week for a writing workshop as part of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research funded project, Adopting a Gender-Inclusive Participatory Approach to Reducing Horticultural Food Loss in the Pacific. The workshop was led by ACPIR's Associate Professor Saskia De Klerk and Professor Nichole Georgeou from Western Sydney University.

The project spanned Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Tonga and was led by the Scientific Research Organization of Samoa (SROS) with support from Australian researchers. We look forward to reading the upcoming publications from the project teams.

11/08/2026