Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research

Abstracts are open for University of the Sunshine Coast's 2026 University Research Conference this November.
UniSC DVC(R&I) Prof Ross Young and the Organising Committee invite staff and students to submit an abstract to present at the conference to be held over November 2 (UniSC Moreton Bay) and November 5-6 (UniSC Sunshine Coast).
This year’s theme of Disruption calls on UniSC’s community to ask: what role does our research play in shaping, responding to, or leading disruption? How does our research embrace disruption to create a better tomorrow through advancing healthy people and a healthy planet?
Abstracts close July 17. Contact the UniSC Research Conference Organising Committee at [email protected] to learn more.

What’s it like to chase world-class timber research in some of the most remote tropical landscapes on Earth?
Teak is one of the world’s most valuable timbers, prized for its beauty, durability, and versatility in fine furniture, flooring, joinery, and luxury boat building. University of the Sunshine Coast's Forest Research Institute will host a presentation by Dr Vilius Gendvilas to share research on teak grown in PNG, with field trials in Morobe Province and East New Britain Province.

🇵🇬 Teak in the Tropics – Testing Wood Quality in Papua New Guinea
June 10 at 12pm AEST

This is more than a story about wood. It’s a journey into incredibly remote tropical communities, working alongside local landowners, and adapting to whatever the rainforest, weather, and logistics present each day. Hear about the challenges, discoveries, and the rewarding experiences that come with conducting science in isolated regions of PNG.

Dr Gendvilas is a Research Fellow at UniSC's Forest Research Institute. He has a decade of experience in forestry and wood science, specialising in non-destructive wood testing techniques. He has studied and worked in forestry across Lithuania, Finland, Ireland, and Australia. In his role as a forest researcher, he has focused on both softwood and hardwood plantation silviculture, exploring wood quality peculiarities, and connecting knowledge relevant to the wood processing industry and end-users. He has collaborated with research partners in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, enhancing his regional and global perspective in the field.
Register to join via Teams: https://www.unisc.edu.au/research/forest-research-institute/events-at-the-forest-research-institute/forests-for-our-future-lunch-and-learn-june

ACPIR is pleased to welcome new associate member Dr Shannon Brincat to our team. Dr Brincat is a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of the Sunshine Coast. His research focuses on critical international relations theory, climate change adaptation, dialectics, recognition, and the imagination in global politics. He has undertaken projects related to climate and community organisation in India, Mozambique, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste. He has edited or written 10 books and over 50 papers in international journals, with his most recent book, Dialectical Dialogues in Global International Relations, part of the Voices in IR Series at Oxford University Press. Shannon is also a co-editor of the academic journal Global Discourse. Welcome, Shannon!

ACPIR Deputy Director Assoc Prof Sarah Burkhart is in Fiji this week, leading the Pacific School Food Talanoa! We are excited to hear more from our partners and colleagues across the region on ways school foods can support farmers, children, and families in the Pacific to eat more local, nutritious foods.

ACPIR researcher Dr Matt Mason was recently appointed an Adjunct Associate Professor at Solomon Islands National University (SINU), in recognition of his commitment to advancing teaching and research capacity for SINU’s nursing staff. Dr Mason is currently working with SINU staff on a review of the nursing scope of practice for Solomon Islands. This appointment is an important step in ACPIR’s relationship with SINU, and we congratulate Matt on his appointment!

📸Dr Matt Mason and the infection prevention and control team at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara; Dr Matt Mason and colleagues at SINU

ACPIR HDR candidate Eliza Kitchener has recently published a scoping review examining the available evidence on congenital abnormalities across Pacific Island Countries and Territories. The review found that inconsistent data collection and limited diagnostic infrastructure likely underestimate the true burden of congenital abnormalities in the Pacific, highlighting the need for stronger surveillance systems, newborn screening programs, and regional research collaboration. These findings have informed Eliza’s PhD research exploring women’s diet, access to health services, and associated adverse health outcomes, including congenital abnormalities, in Vanuatu. Co-authors of the review include ACPIR researchers Dr Georgia Kafer and Dr Barnaby Dixson, among others. You can read the full article here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-026-27322-3



Photos show MaMi Project researchers interviewing women on Efate Island, Vanuatu in 2024

Upcoming event notice! The Australasian Epidemiological Association (AEA) and its Moana Pasifika Chapter will be hosting their 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting in Fiji from 13-15 October. This year's theme is "One Ocean, One Health: Epidemiology for a Healthier Tomorrow, the Pacific and Beyond", reflecting their collective commitment to strengthening epidemiological capacity and collaboration across the Pacific region.

Registration is now open, with early bird rates available until 19 June. For more information, visit the conference website: https://aea2026.org/

ABC Pacific interviewed Prof Patrick Nunn to discuss his latest Fiji project that has identified a 'Midden Island' off the coast of Fiji's second biggest island, Vanua Levu.
The interview discusses the project with UniSC Research Fellow Roselyn Kumar, working with the Fiji Museum and the The University of the South Pacific to identify the 'Midden Island’, sharing that it may be an example of "shellfish processing on an almost industrial scale”
Listen now: https://www.abc.net.au/pacific/programs/pacificbeat/midden-island/106595722
University of the Sunshine Coast

Shell-Island points to 'industrial' shellfish processing in Fiji 1,200 years ago - ABC Pacific An island made entirely of empty shell-fish shells has been discovered off of Fiji's second largest Island, making it the first of it's kind east of Papua New Guinea.

IN THE NEWS | Research from ACPIR climate change and adaptation leads Prof Patrick Nunn and Roselyn Kumar has featured in the Irish Examiner, Frankfurter Rundschau and Berliner Morgenpost.
The research shares insights from a Fiji Islands project indicating a tiny island in a lightly inhabited part of Fiji may be the legacy of centuries of shellfish consumption.
Prof Nunn said the focus island of Culasawani adjoins the coast of Vanua Levu Island.
"The island seems to be made almost entirely of the remains of edible shellfish,” Prof Nunn said.
“Raising the possibility that people there ate so many shellfish that their remains actually led to an island being formed.”
Media coverage: https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/outdoors/arid-41828867.html
Read the paper: https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.70052