International PhD students
The Institute has attracted a number of international students who have come to CSU to work under our researchers, many of whom are recognised nationally and internationally for their individual and group expertise. Countries our students come from include Indonesia, Nepal, Laos, Canada, Poland, Guam, and Bhutan, India.
They are:
Vijaykumar Kuttappan
CSU Scholarship
Iimproving rural livelihoods through forestry in tank irrigation systems
Vijay, commenced his PhD in July 2011 and is supervised by Prof Allan Curtis, Dr Michael Mitchell and A/Prof Karthikeyan Chandrasekaran (or ‘Karthi’ as he was known on his previous visits to Australia) from Tamil Nadu State Agricultural University, India. Karthi will be supervising Vijay when he does his field trips in India next year. For his PhD Vijay is looking at opportunities to improve rural livelihoods through forestry in tank irrigation systems of Southern India in an era of change. Vijay intends to look at the impact of climate change on the livelihoods of rural communities dependent on tank irrigation systems in Tamil Nadu and whether or not forestry is likely to be an effective strategy for improving the livelihoods of these communities.
Patrick Brandful Cobbinah
CSU Faculty of Science Scholarship
Eco-tourism and poverty reduction in Ghana
Patrick, from Ghana, started his Masters in June 2011 with the University on the topic “Eco-tourism and poverty reduction in Ghana.” He is supervised by Dr Rosemary Black and Dr Rik Thwaites and is based at the Albury -Wodonga campus at Thurgoona. Patrick will be looking at how local people can be integrated in the development and management of ecotourism so as to help alleviate their poverty. “The major cities in Ghana are sprawling at an increasing rate that much of the surrounding Nature Reserves and rural landscapes are being converted into residential and other uses,” says Patrick. “I want to investigate this and find ways in which local communities can be mainstreamed into the management of ecotourism sites. This will help reduce their poverty levels whiles protecting the natural environment.”
Mei Mei Meilani
Faculty of Science Research Higher Degree Scholarship
Community Eco-tourism in Indonesia
Meilani, who is from Indonesia, started her PhD with supervisors Dr Rik Thwaites and Dr Digby Race, in February 2011. Meilani’s topic at this stage is “Community Eco-tourism in Indonesia” with a focus on conservation forests. She is hoping to use a conservation forest in central Kalimantan, Sebangau National Park, as hercase study. Meilani has a Bachelor degree in Fisheries (socioeconomics) from Bogor Agricultural University in West Java and a Masters on strategic marketing of eco-tourism in Sebangau National Park with Bogor Agricultural University’s School of Business. As well as her PhD studies she works as a contributing writer for Media Indonesia.
Mohan Poudel
Australian Postgraduate Award
Integrating Climate Change into Community Forestry: assessing and modelling potential livelihood implications of REDD+ in Nepal.
Mohan who is from Nepal, started his PhD in March 2011 He is supervised by Dr Digby Race and Dr Rik Thwaites. Mohan a social forester, who has worked for Nepal’s national Forest Service for 14 years and has a M.Sc. from ITC in the Netherlands will be looking at potential livelihood implications of the reducing emissions form deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD+). REDD+ is an international climate change mitigation mechanism of UNFCCC. REDD+ is not just focussing on emissions reduction but also on well being of the forest dependent people and sustainable management of forest resources in the developing countries.
Popular Gentle
International Post-graduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) and Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) by CSU
“Equipping poor people for climate change: Can community forestry be a propoor adaptation for rural communities in Nepal?”
Popular from Nepal, began his PhD in February 2011 and is based at the Albury-Wodonga campus (Thurgoona). Popular’s supervisors are Dr Digby Race, Dr Rik Thwaites and Dr Kim Alexander (CSIRO). Popular, a forester, has been managing and coordinating natural resources and climate change related projects in Nepal (working for Care International) for more than 14 years. He obtained his Masters in Forestry Science from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2001.
Lei Yinru 'Ruby'
PhD scholarship offered by CSU and Hohai University, Nanjing, China in line with a global alliance between the two universities.
Climate change and migration.
Based at the Albury- Wodonga campus (Thurgoona) Ruby started at CSU in February 2011 and is supervised by Institute director Prof Max Finlayson and Dr Rik Thwaites. Ruby , who did her undergraduate studies in land and resource management at Nanjing Agricultural University had been upgraded to PhD status one and a half years into her Masters. She was doing her PhD under principal supervisor Prof Shi Guoqing , the Director of China’s National Research Centre for Resettlement at Hohai University when the opportunity came up to come to Australia. (Prof Shi was one of three senior scientists from Hohai University who visited the Institute and Australia in May, 2009).
Kuenga Namgay
Australian
Leadership Award scholarship.
Transhumant Agro
Pastoralists of Bhutan: Do they have a place
in the 21st century?
Kuenga, who is from Bhutan, began his PhD at the beginning of 2010.
The aim of his research is to build the pastoralist's capacity for leadership in their
home country. His supervisors
are Dr Joanne Millar ([principal supervisor)
and Dr Rosemary Black. While in Australia, Kuenga will do an internship with
a local organisation in Albury/Wodonga to learn about leadership in
rural development. Link to a feature story in the May 2011 newsletter
Tri Wahyudiyati
Tropenbos International scholarship
Forest Community Development:Enhancing corporate social responsibility in Indonesia's forestry sector.
Tri, who is from Jakarta in Indonesia, commenced her PhD in 2010. She is investigating the relationships between forestry corporations in Indonesia and communities that are living close to their operations. Tri, who has a Masters in Natural Resources Law from the University of Wollongong, is being supervised by Dr Digby Race, Dr PK Basu and Prof Udiansyah from the University of Lambung Mangkurat in Indonesia.
Yustina Murdiningrum
CSU International Postgraduate Research Scholarship
The capacity of non-government organisations to be
catalysts for community forestry in Indonesia
Yustina Murdiningrum,who is from Indonesia, began her PhD in August 2009. Her supervisors are Dr Digby Race, Dr Geoff Bamberry (CSU Business) and Dr Brain Furze (La Trobe University). Yustina is looking at “The capacity of NGOs as a catalyst for successful community-based forestry management." This follows on from her Masters Degree (2005-2007) at the renowned Wageningen University in The Netherlands where she undertook a major in International Development Studies and conducted thesis research on the conflict in natural resource management between Government and a local NGO in the Mount Merapi National Park in Joyakarta.
Lukas Wibowo
ACIAR scholarship
Optimising the policy and institutional settings for community-based forestry in Indonesia
Lukas, who is from Indonesia, commenced his PhD in 2008. The aim of his research is to analyse the different models of community-based forest management (CBFM) being developed in Indonesia , and the extent that the most popular models are likely to achieve CBFM’s goal which is to reduce deforestation and rural poverty, and build a sustainable resource. His field work will be in Jambi Province in Sumatran Islands, Konawe Selatan in Southeast Sulawesi Province as well as Java (East Java Province and Jakarta). His supervisors are Dr Digby Race and Professor Allan Curtis. He is based at the Albury-Wodonga campus. Link to Research In Progress summary.
Binod Devkota
CSU International Postgraduate Research Scholarship
Socio-economic outcomes of community forestry for ruralcommunities in Nepal.
Binod, who is from Nepal, commenced his PhD in 2008. His research aims to analyse the nature and range of socio-economic outcomes of long-term investment in community forestry for different segments of rural communities, particularly those groups identified as the target audience for community forestry (for example, disadvantaged people including women, poor and ethnic minorities). His research will focus on case studies of Community Forest User Groups in the Sindhupalchok and Kabhrepalanchok Districts of Nepal, where a long term community forestry project ran from 1978 to 2006. His findings will help inform Community Forestry policies and implementation elsewhere in Nepal and internationally. His supervisors are Dr Digby Race, Dr Joanne Millar and Dr Rik
Thwaites and he is based at the Albury-Wodonga campus. Link to Research in Progress summary.
Karolina Petrovic
CSU International Postgraduate Research Scholarship and Australian Government European Endeavour Europe Award
The influence of plant secondary compounds and nutrients on selective herbivory of common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)
Karolina, who is from Poland, commenced her PhD in 2007. She is focussing primarily on possum food preferences and is investigating the role of native trees and mistletoes in the brushtail pssoum’s diet. Her field work is in the Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria. Her supervisors are A/Prof David Watson, A/Prof Ian Lunt, Dr Min An and Prof William Foley (ANU). She is based at the Albury-Wodonga campus. Link to a feature story in the February 2009 newsletter
Kelly Marsh
CSU International Postgraduate Research Scholarship
Indigenous values and Historic Preservation management in Western
Micronesia: A study in cultural persistence
Kelly, who is from Guam in Micronesia, began her PhD at the Albury-Wodonga campus in 2006. Her thesis explores the degree of presence traditional cultural island values have in historic preservation offices within Micronesia. Mid-way through her PhD Kelly took up an offer of 12 months employment as a cultural anthropologist/ethnographer with the Bureau of Arts and Culture, Republic of Palau, Micronesia. There she has continued to do some research and participatory observation independent of, but informed by, her job. Kelly is supervised by A/Prof Dirk Spennemann from CSU and Dr Anne Hattori from the University of Guam.
Barbara Parker
International Postgraduate Research Scholarship and Charles Sturt University Postgraduate Research Studentship
Word of Mouth: Women’s lay knowledge of ‘healthy’ & ‘risky’ foods
In 2005 Barbara, moved from Canada to Wagga Wagga, NSW to begin her PhD. The aim of her cross-cultural research project is to understand the social meanings that Australian and Canadian women give to their food choices as negotiated through regional and rural identities, paying particular attention to the concepts of ‘health’ and ‘risk’. Her supervisors are Professors Margaret Alston and Deborah Lupton. After residing in Australia for three years, she is now based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada where she is writing up her results.