Dirk Steenbergen

Dirk Steenbergen is an Associate Professor and Principal Fellow at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) within the University of Wollongong's Faculty of Business and Law. He holds an adjunct role as Research Fellow at Charles Darwin University. His academic journey includes a D.Phil. in Community Development, Governance and Conservation from Murdoch University (2013) and a Master’s in Social Science from Wageningen University (2006).

His research focuses on community-based fisheries management (CBFM) in the Asia-Pacific, particularly scaling CBFM in Pacific Island nations like Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. He leads the Pathways-2 Project, emphasizing participatory approaches, policy integration, and gender inclusion. Dirk’s work spans rural development, coastal livelihoods, and governance, with expertise in participatory methodologies across diverse cultural contexts.

Recent projects leverage technology like AI and deep learning to enhance fisheries management. His teaching interests include environmental anthropology, coastal governance, and common-pool resource management. Current supervision includes a doctoral project on technology-driven coastal fisheries assessment in the Pacific.

Dirk actively contributes to academic communities, serving on the Too Big To Ignore network and reviewing for journals like AMBIO. His research bridges policy, practice, and community needs, addressing challenges such as post-disaster resilience, social inclusion, and marine resource equity.