Political Science and International Relations, University of Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand

Pascale has been working on the political economy of mining in the Global South for over two decades. She looks into how transnational norms around regulations in extractive industries are being promoted, transplanted, adapted and contested, with a specific interest on how these norms and regulations impact local communities’ livelihood and environment.

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Director of the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand

Distinguished Professor Steven Ratuva, an award-winning political sociologist and global interdisciplinary scholar, is Director of the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies. His work is transdisciplinary across sociology, anthropology, political science, development studies, economics, philosophy and history.

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Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies

Director of the Institute of Applied Sciences, The University of the South Pacific, Fiji

Isoa Korovulavula is the Acting Director of the University of the South Pacific Institute of Applied Sciences, where he is also manages the Environment Unit. He holds a PhD in Environmental Management and Master of Natural Resource Economics from the University of Queensland. His areas of expertise include socio-economic assessment of biodiversity, environmental impact assessment, economic valuation, community natural resource management and community based integrated water management. He is currently one of the Trustees of Fiji’s Women and Fisheries Network and the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area (FLMMA) network. He chairs the National Integrated Coastal Management Committee in Fiji.

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Arts Digital Lab, Faculty of Arts, University of Canterbury

Geoff is a political scientist working at the intersection of politics, digital methods and linguistics. He has a professional background as a software developer focused on web technologies and uses this experience to collect large data-sets from the web, to apply quantitative and qualitative computer-assisted approaches to analyse texts, and to build web-based interfaces to interact with and analyse data. Geoff is working on the focused on the digital controversy mapping aspects of the project and developing the project’s digital outputs.

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Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Political Science and International Relations / Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury

Luisa’s doctoral degree at the University of Canterbury involved research with members of the Samoan community in Ōtautahi Christchurch, examining the ways in which adaptation and wellbeing intersected. She has a wealth of experience with stakeholder engagement, research analysis, and effective communication of complex ideas. She has recently worked as a field interviewer for the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) providing broad experience with qualitative and quantitative field work.

Department of Political Science and International Relations / Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury

Alex is investigating the political and economic ties between the International Seabed Authority and Pacific Island Countries. She has a vast experience working on issues of human rights, global health, and public policy in the context of global governance. Alex holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy (MIRAD) from the University of Canterbury (2023) and a Postgraduate Certificate of Public Health: Public Policy and Health from the University of Otago (2023).

Postdoctoral fellow at the Australian National University

Sian’s research focuses on Australian foreign and defence policy, the politics of emerging weapons technologies, and theories of trust in international relations.

Research Assistant

Xavier has recently completed a Master’s of International Relations and Diplomacy (MIRAD) at the University of Canterbury, researching small state foreign policy strategy and digital diplomacy. He assists with the Mining the Sea project through background research, data gathering and website administration.