ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies/ James Cook University
Research Field: Fisheries for Development

Dr Pip Cohen’s research addresses the urgent need to improve environmental sustainability and food security in developing countries, particularly via small-scales fisheries. Her work examines fisheries as linked social-ecological systems using interdisciplinary research. For example she uses network analysis alongside qualitative techniques to examine the benefits and costs of increased coordination amongst conservation, development and research agencies. She has built collaborations with economists, ecologists and anthropologists to produce a framework to guide integrated conservation policies.

Key to Pip’s research is the need to translate and communicate her findings to a diverse set of stakeholders. She spends extensive time in the Solomon Islands, engaging local communities in her research and speaks the language fluently. Her success in increasing the long-terms sustainability of local fisheries has attracted the attention of newspapers such as The Australian.