ACPIR SRS | UniSC | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

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Summer Research Scholarships with the Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research

Explore real-world topics of diet, aquaculture, agriculture and community development in the Pacific Islands with ACPIR mentors and supervisors. Enter our network of engaged academics and professionals working on research projects to sustainably improve the health, living conditions and livelihoods of people and the environment in the Pacific Islands.

ACPIR Summer Research Scholarships

ACPIR Summer Research Scholarships (ACPIR SRS) provide an opportunity for UniSC undergraduate, including honours, students to be part of a research team and participate in research. They extend ACPIR’s culture of mentoring to undergraduate students, through a tiered mentoring approach from ACPIR academic project leaders and postgraduates (HDR students and post docs).

Benefits

Successful students have increased exposure to research as a career pathway and an opportunity to learn about the research process. They will be involved in a project, have opportunity to network with other researchers, postgraduate peers and professionals, and start to develop a research profile.
Research skills are transferable, making this experience useful, even for those who may not decide to pursue research as a career option.

What's involved

The program is run over the summer starting in November /December and recommencing after the Christmas holiday break, one of the projects starts 22 Jan 2024. There is flexibility in the days/times that the student can work, negotiated at the start of the program.

Undergraduate students in the program are paid a stipend of $3,000 in instalments over the 8-week program. Mentored by an academic supervisor from ACPIR, and also a postgraduate peer throughout the ACPIR-SRS program, participants can develop their research skills, personal skills, and career planning, and are encouraged to work with the project team in contributing to a publication/other output as a named author. ACPIR postgraduate mentors will receive a stipend of $2,000.

2023-2024 topics and ACPIR researchers 

1. Understanding the role of diviners and traditional healers in witchcraft and sorcery accusations in the Pacific with ACPIR supervisors Drs Barnaby Dixson & Georgia Kafer.

2. Dietary intake methodology in the Pacific Islands with ACPIR supervisor Dr Sarah Burkhart.

3. Samoan seaweed recipe book and resource suite development with ACPIR supervisors Drs Libby Swanepoel & Lee McGowan.

Agricultural food products from Vanuatu
Declan Macleod pointing at screen
Explore past project topics and teams, and see presentations from past ACPIR SRS recipients sharing insight to their involvement in the projects and what they gained from these research opportunities. Learn more.

Applications have now closed for 2023-24.