The University of the South Pacific has appointed a new vice-chancellor and president.
Pal Ahluwalia will formally take up the role in November, as the 10-year term of the current office holder, Rajesh Chandra, comes to an end.
Professor Ahluwalia is currently the Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom.
Professor Pal Ahluwalia has been appointed the new vice chancellor and president of the University of the South Pacific. Photo: University of Portsmouth
He was previously Pro Vice-Chancellor and Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of South Australia.
He has a PhD in Politics from Flinders University in South Australia and a Master of Arts from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada.
His main research interests are in African studies, social and cultural theory, in particular, post-colonial theory and the processes of diaspora, exile, migration, and the complexities of identity formation.
Professor Ahluwalia said the University of the South Pacific has an opportunity to become a truly world-class institution.
He said its next phase of development should be to continue to build on its reputation for research that has the potential to change lives in the region.