Admitted Semester 1, 2025
Tanana Bakoa Iuti is a PhD candidate in Politics and International Affairs at the University of the South Pacific. She is a recipient of the U.S.-Pacific Resilience and Adaptation Fellowship Program (US-PRAFP), a fully funded, three-year scholarship supporting postgraduate research on resilience and adaptation across the Pacific.
Currently, her research explores how small Pacific Island nations like Kiribati and Tuvalu utilize diplomatic strategies to build resilience against climate change. This includes questions around the significance of resilience diplomacy, legal frameworks for climate-induced displacement, and the role of international partnerships. Tanana employs mixed methods to investigate the interplay between local experiences and international frameworks in shaping effective resilience strategies.
Her work aims to establish a foundation for future studies on resilience diplomacy, inform policy and enhance community resilience, with a strong commitment to collaboration and sustainability.
Before pursing her PhD, Tanana obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Management and Education Studies at the University of the South Pacific, followed by a Master’s Degree in International Relations from China Foreign Affairs University. She worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, contributing to diplomacy and policy development, including research initiatives at the Pacific Fusion Centre related to climate resilience for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Email: tbaakoa@gmail.com / s11069951@student.usp.ac.fj
