Academic Recognition, Leadership and International Engagement

Selected Academic Appointments, Distinctions and International Engagement

My academic career has been shaped by international research collaborations, academic leadership, editorial responsibilities and engagement with scholarly and policy communities across different regions. My appointments and professional recognition reflect contributions to International Relations, political science, small-state studies, diplomacy, security and sustainable development, with a particular focus on Pacific island states.

The following is a selection of academic appointments, distinctions, fellowships, visiting positions and international engagements.

Academic Leadership and Professional Appointments

Elected Senate Representative to the Joint Committee of Council and Senate, The University of the South Pacific, 2026.

The Joint Committee of Council and Senate was established to recruit and appoint two Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President positions: Research and Innovation and Regional Campuses and Global Engagement.

Elected Member of the University Senate, The University of the South Pacific, 2026–2029.

Elected to serve on the University Senate, contributing to institutional governance and the academic leadership of the University.

Member, International Working Group on Public Policy, Diplomacy and Sustainable Development, Global Ambassadors of Sustainability, 2025–present.

The Working Group brings together diplomats, policymakers, scholars and other experts to advance sustainable development through public policy and diplomacy. Its work focuses on developing actionable pathways towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), strengthening connections between international policy commitments, diplomatic engagement and implementation.

Member, International Editorial Board, Small States & Territories Journal, 2025–2028.

Member, Book Reviews Team, Small States & Territories Journal, 2025–2028.

I contribute to the journal's international scholarly community through editorial and book-review activities, supporting academic debate and research on small states and territories.

Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Pacific Studies, 2023–present.

The Journal of Pacific Studies is a multidisciplinary scholarly journal hosted by the University of the South Pacific, contributing to research and scholarship on the Pacific region.

Affiliate, Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative, 2023–present.

An international initiative focused on advancing research, policy and practical approaches to strengthening the resilience and sustainability of island communities.

Member, Editorial Board, Polity, Northeastern Political Science Association, published by the University of Chicago Press, 2020–present.

Polity is a peer-reviewed political science journal that promotes scholarly communication across the subdisciplines of political science and advances interdisciplinary engagement in political research.

Advisor on the Security and Political Power of Small and Micro States, Institute of Small and Micro States, 2020–present.

Contribute expertise on the security, political influence and international relations of small and micro states.

Fellow, Advance HE (formerly the Higher Education Academy), United Kingdom, 2018–present.

I am recognised as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2018, reflecting professional commitment to teaching and learning in higher education.

Research Awards, Fellowships and International Recognition

Research Excellence Award, University of the South Pacific, 2024.

I was recognised for research excellence at the University of the South Pacific.

Research Excellence Award, University of the South Pacific, 2022.

I was recognised for research excellence at the University of the South Pacific.

Knowledge Frontiers Forum Fellow, British Academy, Australia, 2019.

I was selected by the British Academy as one of 39 early-career researchers in the humanities and social sciences to participate in an international research collaboration forum exploring the theme of The Future.

The programme brought together researchers to examine environmental futures, futures of the past, and approaches to co-designing and co-producing knowledge. Drawing on my emerging research on the ontological security of Pacific island countries and their populations in the context of climate change, I was invited by the British Academy to provide introductory remarks on the theme of environmental futures.

Following the forum, the British Academy funded two collaborative research projects, enabling me to work with colleagues from Australia, Samoa and Fiji on pressing regional and global challenges.

Middle East and North Africa Fellow, American Political Science Association, Qatar and Kuwait, 2015.

I was selected as one of 23 early-career researchers based in the United States, Europe and the Arab Middle East and North Africa to participate in the APSA Middle East and North Africa Fellowship Programme, funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

The year-long programme examined the resource curse and the political economy of the Arab Middle East and North Africa. Hosted by the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute at Qatar University and the Alsalam Center for Development and Strategic Studies in Kuwait, the fellowship involved engagement with scholarship on rentier states, democracy, state-building, political stability and state–society relations. The programme culminated in the presentation of a research paper developed during the fellowship.

Research Fellow, Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service in Qatar, Doha, Qatar, 2014.

I was appointed as a Research Fellow at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in Qatar. My research examined how Qatari elites exercise soft power to advance the country's foreign policy objectives, contributing to my broader research agenda on soft power and the international relations of small states.

Visiting Academic Appointments and Research Positions

Visiting Scholar, School of Arts and Cultures, Newcastle University, United Kingdom, 2020–2021.

I undertook a visiting academic appointment at Newcastle University, maintaining research and academic connections with the institution.

Visiting Scholar, Faculty of Law, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, 2020.

I worked with Professor Tony Angelo, an internationally recognised scholar of the law of small states and Pacific island nations. The visit provided an opportunity for academic exchange and engagement with scholarship on small-state legal and institutional questions.

Visiting Researcher, National Library of Bhutan, Bhutan, 2009.

I was invited to undertake research with colleagues from the Research and Media Division and the Library and Archives Division as part of a national literary documentation survey in eastern Bhutan.

The project involved documenting important and rare texts held in remote temples and monasteries, including their identification, digitisation, registration and assessment of their location and condition for future reference and preservation.

International Policy Dialogues and High-Level Engagement

Delegate and Lead Speaker, Fiji 1.5 Dialogue on Enhancing Australia–India Cooperation with Indo-Pacific Island States, 2025.

I participated as a delegate and lead speaker in the Fiji 1.5 Dialogue, a partnership between the Australia India Institute and the University of the South Pacific, supported by the Australian Government's Department of Defence. The dialogue brought together participants to discuss Australia–India cooperation and its implications for Indo-Pacific island states.

Participant, Track 2 Pacific Dialogue on Security and Geopolitics in the Pacific, 2024.

I participated in the Track 2 Dialogue hosted by the University of the South Pacific in Suva, with support from the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The dialogue provided a forum for discussion of regional security, geopolitical developments and the evolving strategic environment in the Pacific.

Selected Delegate, First Archipelagic and Island States Forum Research and Development Conference: Advancing the Blue Frontier on Innovative Ocean Science, Bali, Indonesia, 2023.

I was selected by the Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum as one of 30 delegates to participate in its inaugural Research and Development Conference.

The AIS Forum is a multilateral platform bringing together 51 archipelagic and island countries. Its work focuses on four thematic areas: climate change, the blue economy, marine pollution and debris, and good maritime governance. The conference provided an opportunity to engage with international researchers and policymakers on ocean science, island sustainability and the future of archipelagic and island states.

Observer, 25th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP25), Madrid, Spain, 2019.

I participated as an observer at COP25, engaging with international climate diplomacy and negotiations concerning the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the development of more ambitious national climate commitments.

Following the conference, I published a commentary on its outcomes through International Affairs, a leading international relations journal: COP25 commentary.

Academic Editorial and Scholarly Publishing Leadership

Co-Editor, Politics, Political Studies Association, published by SAGE, United Kingdom, 2018.

Served as a co-editor of Politics, a peer-reviewed journal publishing original research in politics and international studies. The journal promotes scholarly debate and encourages contributions that advance research and challenge established disciplinary boundaries.

Co-Editor, Middle East and North Africa Newsletter, American Political Science Association, 2018.

Served as co-editor of the APSA Middle East and North Africa Newsletter, a biannual publication featuring contributions on methodological, theoretical, empirical and ethical issues in Middle East and North Africa political science research.

Research Mentoring and Academic Development

Mentor, Ocean Country Partnership Programme Scholarship Online Training Programme, 2025.

I mentored seven scholars through the module Writing Winning PhD and Postdoctoral Proposals, co-developed by the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the International Network for Advancing Science and Policy (INASP), with funding from UK Aid. The programme supported scholars in strengthening their research proposal development and academic career progression.

ACTION for Impact Alumni, Newcastle University, United Kingdom, 2019.

I completed the ACTION for Impact programme, which supports early-career researchers in developing the personal, societal and commercial impact of their research.

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