Paul Southgate

Professor Paul Southgate is a faculty member at the University of the Sunshine Coast (Queensland, Australia), holding the rank of Professor. He serves as Deputy Director of the Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research. His research focuses on tropical aquaculture, particularly pearl oysters, marine invertebrates, and aquaculture-based livelihoods in Pacific Island and Asian countries. Southgate has led numerous ACIAR-funded projects totaling over $20 million, addressing challenges in pearl production, sea cucumber farming, and community-based mariculture. Notable contributions include co-authoring the textbook 'Aquaculture: Farming Aquatic Animals and Plants' and the monograph 'The Pearl Oyster.'

• Education: PhD (James Cook University), MSc (Heriot-Watt University), BSc (University of Portsmouth).
• Affiliations: School of Science, Technology and Engineering at UniSC; Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research.

Research Interests: Tropical aquaculture systems, pearl oyster biology, nutrition of aquatic species, molluscan taxonomy, and socio-economic impacts of mariculture. His work emphasizes sustainable practices and community engagement in developing nations.

Grants & Projects: Over 15 major grants since 2012, including projects on pearl livelihoods in the Pacific ($2.9M), sea cucumber production in Vietnam ($2.9M), and capacity-building in Papua New Guinea ($1.7M). Recent studies address climate resilience, hatchery innovations, and integrated aquaculture systems.

Labs/Teams: Collaborations span institutions in Fiji, Tonga, PNG, and Southeast Asia. Key partners include ACIAR, local governments, and NGOs.