Three female academics at The University of the South Pacific (USP) were inaugural recipients of the Vice-Chancellor and President’s (VCP) Strategic Fund for Female Academics which aims to promote gender equity across the institution.
The Strategic Fund aims to support female academics who are on the threshold of academic promotions, allowing them to take time out from teaching to focus on their research and publications.
The recipients are School of Business and Management (SBM) lecturer, Dr Buriata Tofinga; School of Agriculture, Geography, Environment, Oceans and Natural Sciences (SAGEONS) senior lecturer, Dr Amanda Ford and Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development (PaCE-SD) lead researcher and team leader, Dr Hilda Waqa-Sakiti.
Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Pal Ahluwalia said the initiative was established earlier this year to mark International Women’s Day and its theme, Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.
This important initiative is the first of its kind here at USP and aligns with USP’s commitment to increasing the number of women in academia.
It is a transformative and important part of a multi-pronged strategy to accelerate progress in our ongoing commitment to advance gender equity at USP.
Congratulations to the recipients and I also acknowledge and commend the hard work of all our female academics and researchers at USP as we continue to invest in women to accelerate their progress.
Professor Ahluwalia
Dr Buriata Tofinga’s research focuses on how climate change impacts women’s livelihoods.
We will observe the role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in informing women’s social and economic practices in indigenous communities that are highly vulnerable to climate change.
I am passionate about this research as it will contribute insights to discussions around gender empowerment and the importance of traditional knowledge in the Pacific.
The six-month leave from teaching provided by the Award is much needed by female academics like me. As women, we understand our personal and family commitments also intermingle with our work. This award allows us to enhance our research profile, fast-track our careers and seek academic promotions.
Dr Tofinga
Dr Amanda Ford, whose research focuses on coral reef ecology, marine management and marine pollution, seeks to bridge the gap between scientific research and management.
My team’s focus is on assisting local communities and future generations to conserve coastal marine ecosystems and their resources.
I currently lead two multi-year projects comprising colleagues, students and external partners. One is a regional project in four Pacific Island Countries which aims to establish regional baselines for marine plastics in reef fish and to document local perceptions of plastic pollution.
The second project aims to understand the drivers and impacts of benthic cyanobacterial mats on coral reefs in Fiji.
Dr Ford
PaCE-SD lead research Dr Hilda Waqa-Sakiti is working on a pilot project designed to measure the health and stability of Fiji’s blue carbon ecosystems, like mangroves and seagrass meadows.
The project aims to create a reliable tool to assess & monitor the health of these ecosystems, developed specifically for Fiji. I also lead the Pacific Ocean and Climate Crisis Assessment Project, which covers 16 Pacific countries and assesses how Pacific Indigenous knowledge systems can coexist with Western scientific approaches in Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation.
The research data will help Pacific governments frame policies and be useful in global negotiations to promote the uniqueness of our Pacific voices and experiences.
Dr Waqa-Sakiti