Meet the Fellows

King's Commonwealth Fellowship Programme PhD Fellows

Meet the Fellows

Meet the King's Commonwealth Fellowship PhD Fellows.

Mark Bastian

Guyana

Read bio

Home university: University of Guyana
Partner university: Western University, Canada

Mark Bastian is an Assistant Curator at the Center for the Study of Biological Diversity and a lecturer within the Department of Biology at the University of Guyana. Mark received his BSc in Biology in 2015 and an MSc in Forest Biology in 2023 from the University of Guyana. He is a herpetologist with a specific focus on the ecology, behaviour, and host-pathogen associations of neotropical anurans in Guyana. Mark's recent study examined the Distribution and Prevalence of chytrid fungus on anurans in the Iwokrama Forest, and he believes that frogs are our environments greatest guardians, as they are often the first casualties.

Dhrishna Charan

Fiji

Read bio

Home university: The University of Fiji
Partner university: The University of Edinburgh, UK

Dhrishna has worked at the University of Fiji as an Assistant Lecturer in Physics for the last 12 years. Her research interests include alternative fuels, life cycle assessment and climate change. Having completed her BSc degree in Mathematics and Physics and Postgraduate Diploma in Climate Change from the University of the South Pacific, she received my MSc degree in Renewable Energy Management from the University of Fiji in the 2020. Dhrishna is currently pursing a PhD from the University of Fiji, focusing on the feasibility of using hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for decarbonizing Fiji's road transportation sector.

Sharlene Goberdhan

Guyana

Read bio

Home university: University of Guyana
Partner university: King's College London, UK

Sharlene is a lecturer at the University of Guyana School of Medicine and is committed to advancing medical education and public health research. Her passion for research began as a medical student and research assistant on the CONTACT study, where she developed an interest in implementation science and community-based participatory approaches to improving health outcomes. She went on to earn an MPH in Health Services Research from the University of Sheffield, and now focuses on strengthening local research capacity and working on studies aimed at addressing urgent health challenges and improving population health outcomes in Guyana.

Usaia Gaunavou

Fiji

Read bio

Home university: Fiji National University
Partner university: University of Sydney, Australia

Usaia is currently a lecturer at Fiji National University, teaching urban and regional planning (BURP-Hon) and geographic information systems (GIS). Prior to this he had spent seven years in Fiji's civil service, in three public institutions, dealing mainly with land-use planning, cultural and heritage preservation and geographical information systems. Usaia holds a Master of Environmental Planning and a Bachelor of Environmental Studies and his research interests are on land use planning and climate change adaptation. He also has a keen interest on the use of geographic information systems.

Shalini Jagnarine-Azan

Trinidad and Tobago

Read bio

Home university: The University of the West Indies
Partner university: University of Liverpool, UK

Shalini is a structural engineer and project manager with over a decade of experience in disaster risk reduction and health infrastructure resilience. She holds a BSc in Civil Engineering from UWI (2005) and an MSc in Structural Engineering from Imperial College London (2008). Currently, she is a Director at Pothos Limited in Jamaica and a consultant for the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and PAHO/WHO, specializing in healthcare retrofitting and capacity building. She is IStructE, UK elected VP and Board Trustee (2024-2026).

Saiyad Kutty

Fiji

Read bio

Home university: The University of the South Pacific
Partner university: University of Southampton, UK

Saiyad holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics and a Master of Science in Engineering from the University of the South Pacific. He is currently a Teaching Assistant with experience in control systems, renewable energy, and embedded systems. Saiyad's research interests focus on renewable energy integration, wind energy forecasting, smart grids, automation, and IoT-based monitoring systems. Along with this, he is a IEEE member and has published work on wind resource assessment and predictive modelling.

Jack Yaro

Papua New Guinea

Read bio

Home university: Papua New Guinea University of Technology
Partner university: University of Bristol, UK

Jack is a lecturer in the School of Communication and Development Studies at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNG UoT). Born in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, he holds a Bachelor of Technology in Communication for Development and a Master's in Communication Studies from PNG UoT. His teaching focuses on Disaster and Risk Management and Sustainable Development courses.

His research centres on climate justice, displacement policy, and participatory communication for development. Passionate about evidence-based policy, he works to strengthen resilience planning, community agency, and inclusive governance in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific.

Uvicka Bristol

Read bio

Home university: University of Seychelles
Partner university: University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Uvicka holds a BSc and MSc in Environmental Science, with an academic foundation in climate change resilience and coastal management. Her research interests include disaster risk reduction, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable resource use, sustainable tourism and environmental policy. Uvivka is particularly passionate about advancing science-based solutions that strengthen community resilience and support effective adaptation to climate change.

Ana Tuiketei

Fiji

Read bio

Home university: Fiji National University
Partner university: SOAS University of London, UK

Ana is an international lawyer and her qualifications include LLB, PDLP, PD Climate Change (USP, Fiji), LLM (USA), MBA Global (UK), MBA Sports Management (Switzerland). Her PhD research topic with the Fiji National University is titled Building Sustainable Futures: A Livelihood- Centred Approach To Planned Relocation In Fiji. This research aims to improve Fiji's policies on community relocations by analysing current practices, learning from past experiences, and creating actionable recommendations to ensure relocated communities can restore and sustain their livelihoods. This is fundamental as some Fijian locations are becoming uninhabitable, making accessing livelihoods a new emerging vulnerability for planned relocation.

Glenville Mcleod

Jamaica

Read bio

Home university: The University of the West Indies
Partner university: University of the West of Scotland, UK

Glenville is an assistant lecturer in the Department of Government, UWI Mona Campus. He holds a Bachelor's in International Relations with a minor in Public Sector Management. He also has a Master's in Government with a specialisation in International Relations. His MSc research paper focused on Jamaica's adaptability to a Green Economy, highlighting electrical consumption and pollution reduction as key areas for Jamaica's transition to a Green Economy. His love and enthusiasm for research in the areas of climate change, sustainable development, and the Green Economy see him currently enrolled in the PhD programme in the Department of Government.

Eric Stoll

Guyana

Read bio

Home university: University of Guyana
Partner university: Cardiff University, UK

Eric Stoll holds a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and an MSc in Forest Biology from the University of Guyana. As a Curatorial Assistant at the Centre for the Study of Biological Diversity, he specialises in insect taxonomy, ecology and museum techniques, focusing on how environmental changes alter insect population dynamics. Eric's most recent publication includes detecting the impacts of gold mining on insect biodiversity using SmallSat imagery and field surveys to inform conservation strategies in tropical ecosystems.

Zameela Ahmed

Maldives

Read bio

Home university: Maldives National University
Partner university: Macquarie University, Australia

Zameela has served as a proactive leader for over 10 years working on development projects in the Maldives. Having gained comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the education and societal systems, working with over 40 island communities, she is keen to identify tenets and successful solutions to instigate behaviour change to enhance environmental management in the Maldivian islands. The aim of Zameela's research will be to identify factors and approaches that lead to change and to institutionalize such programs to assist Maldivian communities to implement community-led environmental management initiatives and to work as a leader in this area.

Nischal Chandra

Fiji

Read bio

Home university: Fiji National University
Partner university: Murdoch University, Australia

Nischal Chandra is a PhD candidate in Electrical and Electronics Engineering at the Fiji National University. His research focuses on renewable energy systems, particularly photovoltaic (PV) integration, energy efficiency, and sustainable power solutions for island nations. With a background in electrical engineering and practical experience in the energy sector, he is passionate about bridging academic research with real-world applications to enhance energy access and resilience in the Pacific.

Naim Ahmad Shaik Joomun

Mauritius

Read bio

Home university: University of Mauritius
Partner university: Newcastle University, UK

Naim has more than 20 years of experience in the geospatial field. He holds a Master's in Geographical Information System and Science from Salzburg University and a Masters in Remote Sensing and Natural Risks from Reunion and Montpellier University. He is a professional land surveyor and currently works as a cartographer for the Ministry of Housing and Lands in Mauritius and had the privilege of setting up the newly created Land Drainage Authority (LDA) in 2018 and worked as GIS Expert under the technical support for the UNDP Climate Promise project.

Laksham Sanassee

Mauritius

Read bio

Home university: University of Mauritius
Partner university: University of Bath, UK

Laksham holds an academic background in Aeronautical and Structural Engineering, his research focuses on sustainable materials and advanced manufacturing, with a particular interest in their application to strengthen Small Island Developing States. His doctoral work explores the opportunities for transforming local bioresources into high value sustainable products that will benefit the development of the bioeconomy sector in Mauritius and create new engines for economic growth to drive societal progress and resilience to climate change through science-led solutions adapted to local and regional needs.

Vidya Mudliar

Fiji

Read bio

Home university: Fiji National University
Partner university: Griffith University, Australia

Vidya Mudliar is a Lecturer in Dental Technology at the School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Fiji National University. She holds a Master of Dental Technology, a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Dental Technology, a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching, and a Certificate in Dental Technology qualification. Before joining academia, she worked as a dental technician in several Ministry of Health laboratories in Fiji. She currently teaches in the Bachelor of Dental Technology and Bachelor of Dental Surgery programs. Her research interests include advances in dental materials, with expertise in removable prosthodontics, surgical guides, and surgical rehabilitation appliances.

Joeleita Agard

Barbados

Read bio

Home university: The University of the West Indies
Partner university: University of Glasgow, UK

Joeleita is a PhD student in Epidemiology at The University of the West Indies (The UWI), Cave Hill Campus, Barbados. She holds a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from The UWI, Cave Hill and a Master of Public Health from the University of Aberdeen.

As a research assistant at The George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre, her research areas include injury and chronic disease epidemiology and childhood nutrition in Barbados and the Caribbean. Joeleita's PhD research is aimed at understanding contextually relevant social and behavioural risk factors for chronic disease, with a focus on dietary behaviours.

Rajne Reynolds

Jamaica

Read bio

Home university: The University of the West Indies
Partner university: University of Oxford, UK

Rajne Reynolds is an adjunct Assistant Lecturer and PhD candidate at the University of West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus and his PhD research falls in the general category of palaeoclimatology. He investigates sediment cores recovered from mangrove ecosystems to document periods of environmental change and extreme weather that extend beyond the current instrumental meteorological record. His long-term goal is for his research to provide information on the frequency and intensity of prehistoric tropical cyclones that impacted the Caribbean region.

Jair Gaspar Valladarez

Belize

Read bio

Home university: University of Belize
Partner university: Lancaster University, UK

Jair Gaspar Valladarez is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Belize. Through his proposed PhD research, he hopes to integrate in-situ ocean measurements, satellite remote sensing, multivariate statistics, and machine learning, in order to assess and predict coral bleaching events along Belize’s Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. His research addresses the complex interplay of ocean acidification, sea-surface temperature, and eutrophication—factors of urgent concern for small island developing states (SIDS) facing climate change.

Our history

Our team

Events

Our Members

Funding opportunities calendar

For university staff

For students

Policy and advocacy

Projects and programmes

International mobility

Reports

Case studies

The ACU Review

Meet the Fellows

Mark Bastian

Guyana

Dhrishna Charan

Fiji

Sharlene Goberdhan

Guyana

Usaia Gaunavou

Fiji

Shalini Jagnarine-Azan

Trinidad and Tobago

Saiyad Kutty

Fiji

Jack Yaro

Papua New Guinea

Uvicka Bristol

Ana Tuiketei

Fiji

Glenville Mcleod

Jamaica

Eric Stoll

Guyana

Zameela Ahmed

Maldives

Nischal Chandra

Fiji

Naim Ahmad Shaik Joomun

Mauritius

Laksham Sanassee

Mauritius

Vidya Mudliar

Fiji

Joeleita Agard

Barbados

Rajne Reynolds

Jamaica

Jair Gaspar Valladarez

Belize