Ocean, Islands, Futures - Lessons from the Blue Economy and Traditional Knowledges
Tracks
Ocean, Islands, Futures
Tuesday, October 14, 2025 |
1:45 PM - 3:15 PM |
Speaker
Dr Namrata Chand
Postdoctoral fellow
University of Otago
Veisemati ni wasawasa: the ocean that connects
1:45 PM - 2:00 PMBiography
Namrata Chand is a postdoctoral research fellow at Va'a o Tautai, Centre for Pacific Health, University of Otago. She holds a PhD in marine science from the University of Otago. Her research journey focuses on exploring the links between coastal connections and well-being in Pacific communities.
Dr Kalim Shah
Professor, University of Delaware/ Climate Advisor
World Bank Pacific Resilience Programme (PREPII)
Insights on the Strategic Planning Process for a Center of Excellence on Atolls Focused on Climate Change and the Blue Economy
2:00 PM - 2:15 PMBiography
Dr Kalim Shah is a recognized expert on public policy, regulation and and governance in small island economies. As an institutional theorist, his research addresses science-based policy, regulatory design and administration for climate change, pollution prevention, clean technology, industrialization and sustainable production and consumption. Some of his current work relates to ESG management models; regulatory impact assessment methods; institutional effectiveness of science and technology-based organizations.
Prof Simron Singh
Professor
University of Waterloo
Connecting the dots: What can we learn from small islands?
2:15 PM - 2:30 PMBiography
Simron Singh conducts socio-metabolic research to evaluate how small island economies utilize (or metabolize) materials, energy, water, and infrastructure. He further analyzes how island economies can transition to a more sustainable, circular resource-use model, thereby bolstering their overall resilience to the impact of climate change.
Prof Virginie KE Duvat
Professor of Coastal Geography, La Rochelle University
La Rochelle University / CNRS
Assessing the potential of nature-based adaptation solutions in tropical islands
2:30 PM - 2:45 PMBiography
Prof. Virginie Duvat studies coastal environmental changes and risks, their climate and non-climate drivers, and adaptation responses in tropical islands of the Caribbean region, and Indian and Pacific Oceans. She contributed to the IPCC AR5 and AR6 as a lead author.
Mr Allan Rarai
PhD Scholar
University of the South Pacific
Indigenous knowledge with science forms an early warning system for ciguatera fish poisoning outbreak in Vanuatu
2:45 PM - 3:00 PMBiography
Allan Rarai is a PhD student at the University of the South Pacific. His current study focuses on the impact of climate variability and change on Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP) in Vanuatu by combining scientific and Indigenous knowledge t to investigate the occurrence of CFP on Ambae Island, Vanuatu
Dr. Meg Parsons is a passionate transdisciplinary social scientist specializing in environmental management and climate change adaptation, focusing on specifically Indigenous peoples and other under-represented groups.
