Bio
I am a biologist from Papua New Guinea working on the diversity of tropical insects, with a particular interest in how local and traditional knowledge can inform biodiversity research and management. My background is in coastal and mangrove ecology, and I continue to direct a marine sanctuary in Central Province, Papua New Guinea.
Research project
Melanesian Ant Reference Database
Consolidating more than twenty years of New Guinea ant collecting into a single curated dataset of occurrence, taxonomic and DNA barcode records, for publication through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The work involves specimen curation, taxonomic and systematic work, DNA sequencing, and standardising data from multiple source datasets.
Education
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M.Sc. Environmental Science with Honours (First Class), Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand, 2025
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Postgraduate Certificate in Science, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand, 2024
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B.Sc. Biology, University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, 2022
Appointments
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Biology Centre, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Ceske Budejovice, researcher, 2026 - current
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New Guinea Binatang Research Centre, Madang, Papua New Guinea, Biodiversity Data Manager and GBIF trainee, 2026 - current
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Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand, Research Assistant, 2025
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Eda Davara Marine Sanctuary, Central Province, Papua New Guinea, Founder and Executive Director, 2023 - current
Affiliations
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Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations Youth Office, 2025 - 2027
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Young Pacific Leader alumna, U.S. Department of State, 2024