From good neighbours to strategic partners
The Pacific is central to UQ’s global engagement—as neighbours, partners and collaborators. Built on long-standing relationships across the region, UQ works with Pacific partners in medicine, health, science and international development to strengthen economic, governance and social systems. Through collaborative research in one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, we also support the protection of oceans, crops and ecosystems that Pacific communities depend on—advancing shared resilience and sustainable futures.
Fast facts
Dataset includes Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
97
Students from the Pacific enrolled at UQ
43
Pacific-UQ co-publications
11
academic staff born in the Pacific
6
research project collaborations
1,168
alumni in the Pacific
11
agreements with 11 official partners
Fast facts show full year 2025 data.
Collaboration in action
- On Tanna, a volcanic island in southern Vanuatu, children with physical disabilities like 11-year-old Jereth Lava have lived in obscurity.
- A newly launched online course led by The University of Queensland will equip learners from around the world with the knowledge needed to become versatile advocates for coral reef conservation.
- Across more than 40 years as an archaeologist, UQ's Professor Marshall Weisler has spent much of his life in some of the world's most fascinating and untouched corners – isolated villages, an uninhabited island, and communities across Polynesia, Micronesia, Hawaii and New Zealand – all in the name of discovering what makes us human.
- A study led by UQ in collaboration with Opération Cétacés from New Caledonia has found humpack whales can learn incredibly complex songs from whales from other regions.
- Pacific Islanders are experiencing, firsthand, the impacts of climate change, including sea-level rises, changing temperatures and increased rainfall patterns. In response, communities in the region are leading climate adaption strategies to build the resilience of their ecosystems in the face of increasing risk.
- Women are largely being excluded from decisions about conservation and natural resources, with potentially detrimental effects on conservation efforts globally.
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Alumni
UQ has more than 2,148 alumni in the Pacific (excluding Australia). Alumni with strong links to the region include: