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 December and recommencing after the Christmas holiday break. 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.
2024-2025 topics and ACPIR researchers
- The role of aquatic foods in school food environments across Pacific small island developing states with ACPIR supervisor Dr Sarah Burkhart.
- Reducing food waste by exploring value-added innovations: Nature-based Solutions, green tech and circular practices in Food and Agribusiness with ACPIR supervisor Dr Saskia de Klerk.
- The MaMi Project: Investigating Ni-Vanuatu women’s nutrition, food security and associated adverse pregnancy and neonatal health outcomes with ACPIR supervisor Dr Georgia Kafer.
- A scoping review of health care workers knowledge, attitudes, and practices relating to hand hygiene with ACPIR supervisor Dr Matt Mason.
