Academic Profiles
Pro Vice-Chancellor Policy, Planning and Development
Dr. Livingstone Tavul, BSc, PGDSc, MMedSc, PhD
Executive Summary
Executive Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Policy, Planning, & Development at the PNG University of Natural Resources and Environment from June 2021. Before joining the University, Livingstone was a Senior Research Fellow, Lab Head of Molecular Parasitology, as well as deputy Unit Head of the PNG Institute of Medical Research Vector Borne Diseases Unit based in Madang, PNG.
Most of the research work he was involved with contributed to knowledge and the change in treatment policies and the control and management of malaria and filariasis in PNG and other endemic countries. He did most of his postgraduate studies through the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, UPNG. His PhD was co-supervised by PIs from the Swiss Tropical Institute, Switzerland, and Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne. It was based on the monitoring of the efficacy of antimalarial drugs in PNG, focusing on the resistance of Artemisinin Combination therapies (Mala-1) to malaria. His work has now been adapted as well and implemented as a co-function of the National Malaria Control Program in PNG. He also coordinated the safety and efficacy clinical trial study for mass drug administration of a triple drug administration for filariasis in PNG, as one of the six countries that provided the safety data for the drug cocktail which has now been adapted globally for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis. Among other awards, he received a postdoctoral fellowship in 2019 through the Bio Venture for Global Health funded by AusAID through WIPRO/UNDP for an attachment with PATH Diagnostics, Seattle, USA. He was working there on the Market Dynamics and Landscaping of innovative diagnostic tools for the radical cure of vivax malaria in PNG. Livingstone is also the current Country Ambassador for the American Society of Microbiology (ASM) in PNG.
ACADEMIC PROFILE
Personnel statement
I am the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Policy, Planning, and Development at PNG UNRE since June 2021. My appointment to this position requires the oversight of strategic integrated development of the physical infrastructure of the university to ensure that the administrative and planning policies, processes, and systems are aligned for the achievement of the University’s Vision, Mission, and goals. PNG UNRE is a growing university and the only one in the country that equips students to support the 80-90% rural population who entirely depend on agriculture. Under the current Senior Management team, we also embarking on strengthening the Research capacity for our academics as well as building genuine, relevant, and sustainable collaboration with partners within and abroad. I am also involved with the design of new postgraduate programs including One Health, Nutritional Studies & Climate Change, and Sustainable Development. In the long run, I envisage an attractive campus with unique characteristics in the next 5-10 years.
Research (39 co-authored papers)
Publications – Most recent
Defining malaria parasite population subdivisions, transmission dynamics and infection origins using SNP barcodes
Harrison GLA et al; medRxiv 2023
Safety and efficacy of mass drug administration with a single-dose triple-drug regimen of albendazole + diethylcarbamazine + ivermectin for lymphatic filariasis in Papua New Guinea: an open-label, cluster-randomized trial
Livingstone Tavul et al; PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 2022
Unlocking the Global Antigenic Diversity and Balancing Selection of Plasmodium falciparum
Myo T et al, PLOS Computational Biology 2022
Selected publications
An open dataset of Plasmodium falciparum genome variation in 7,000 worldwide samples
Ambroise Ahouidi et al, Welcome Open Research 2021
A multicentre, community-based, mixed methods assessment of the acceptability of a triple-drug regimen for elimination of lymphatic filariasis
Krentel A et al, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 2021
The emergence of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum with kelch13 C580Y mutations on the island of New Guinea
Olivo O et al, PLOS Pathogens 2020
Implementing parasite genotyping into national surveillance frameworks: feedback from control programs and researchers in the Asia–Pacific region
Rintis N et al, Mal J 2020
Efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine and Dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in Papua New Guinea
Livingstone Tavul et al, Mal J, 2018
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Mr. Peter Navus, MSc, PGDS, BSc
Affiliation
Acting Pro-Vice Chancellor, Academic & Research, PNG University of Natural Resources and Environment, Rabaul, ENBP. Is also a Senior Lecturer in Agriculture Management courses since 1999.
Expertise
Research on the use of culturally determined management mechanisms to mobilize customary land for agricultural development.
Education
MSc University of Reading, UK; Graduate Diploma in Rural Systems Management, University of Queensland, Australia; BSc Agriculture, UPNG, Port Moresby.
Experience Summary
Mr. Navus has specialized and lectured in agriculture management courses from 1999 till present. He has contributed a lot to the oil palm industry in PNG as an Extension Agronomist with WNB Oil palm industry from 1978 to 1995. He was also part of the team that established the Oil Palm Research Association (OPRA) in the 1990s. He joined the forestry sector from 1995 to 1999 researching and advocating land management of customary harvest of round logs for overseas export markets.
Panel Experience
Mr. Navus is currently a member of several professional associations. He is currently a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for the UNRE Journal of Environment & Natural Resources. He is also a member of the Pacific Islands University Research Network (PIURN) and a certified surveyor (Inspector) for the Federation of Oils, Seeds, and Fats Association (FOSFA). Since 2008 Mr. Navus has been a member of the Subject Advisory Committee for Upper Secondary Education in Economics and Agriculture subjects.
Research
1. FAO seminar presentation: Food System Summit Dialogue for NGI and Southern Region W 27 May 2021, Hilton Hotel (Banquet Hall 1).
2. Peter Navus and Dr. Alan Quartermain, PIURN Conference, Noumea 3rd – 7th November 2014, The use of culturally determined management mechanisms to mobilize customary land for agricultural development, Papua New Guinea University of Natural Resources and Environment (UNRE),
3. Overseas Development Network [ODN] Conference, UPNG, Port Moresby, October 2005, PNG
4. Gender Equity workshop in Agriculture in ENB campus 2001, PNG, NZODA
Caleb Manamik Breria (Ph.D.)
As a third generation decedent from the pioneer oil palm farmers of West New Britain Province, Dr. Breria first studied his Diploma in Business (Accountancy) at Divine Word University. He further pursued and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree (Agriculture) from the Papua New Guinea University of Technology. With distinguished academic and research credentials, Dr. Breria obtained his Master of Science Degree from the State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, China. He later graduated with a PhD in Plant Molecular Genetics and Breeding from the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (with cross research attachment at the World Vegetable Center), Taiwan.
Dr. Caleb M. Breria has 10+ years (field and research) experiences in agricultural research, production and extension services in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, China and Taiwan. His working accomplishments lie in research, extension and production of oil palm, rice and vegetables. He served under various roles with global agribusiness firms (NBPOL, Trukai and Syngenta – China Ops), Government Commodity Services (Oil Palm Industry Corporation, and PNG Oil Palm Research Association), NGOs (World Vegetable Center-Taiwan) and Government Research Institutes (PNG NARI).
Dr. Breria possess notable strengths in agricultural research. He was part of an international collaborative team that pioneered the genetic sequence and mapping of the mungbean genome, while researching at the World Vegetable Center. He produced a wealth of scientific publications in reputable scientific journals (Thomson Reuters ranking). His publications in mungbean genomic research was annexed into United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) online library, and now raking rigorous citations globally by Crop Genetics Researchers.
Manager Kairak Centre for Sustainable Rural Development
Mr. Hosea Turbarat, Dip Trop Agr, MMS
Hosea Turbarat is the Manager of the Kairak Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (KCfSRD) at the PNG University of Natural Resources and Environment since 2019. He was the manager also of the previous establishment under the Kairak Vudal Resource Training Centre, Integrated Agriculture Training Program and Lead Project Manager of Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project (PPAP-Cocoa) from 2012 to 2018. He was also a consultant to various entities including PNG Forest Authority. He has been managing the outreach centre since his appointment in 2003. Before joining the university, Mr. Turbarat was the ENB Provincial Administrator from 1995 until he resigned from public service in 2022. Under his capacity as the provincial administrator, he was also the Deputy Controller for the ENBP Twin Volcanic Disaster Response successfully implementing the Evacuation, Rehabilitation and Resettlement of the displaced population, setting an excellent model in the country.
Under his leadership, KCfSRD provides consultancy and agricultural services as an income generating activity towards empowerment and sustainability that makes measurable difference to rural livelihoods. Among some of the recent achievements are the Integrated farming system model that incorporate organic practices which has been expended to institutional learning hubs in ENBP. There is also an ongoing seed multiplication and distribution program which is aimed at sustaining food crop production as well as propagating drought tolerance crops to address food security.