Sheena Koibi is from the islands of Fergusson, Normanby, and Misima in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. She holds a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Physics and Mathematics from Pacific Adventist University (PAU), where she subsequently worked as a Foundation Mathematics Tutor prior to commencing postgraduate studies. She is currently a first-year Master of Philosophy candidate at PAU, supported by the EU-FCCB Scholarship Programme.

Her research, “Measurement of Radiocesium in Skipjack Tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea,” investigates the presence and levels of radiocesium (Cs-137) contamination using skipjack tuna as a marine bioindicator. The study is motivated by multiple critical factors: the absence of baseline radiation monitoring data for Papua New Guinea’s marine environment; the importance of skipjack tuna as a migratory species and the dominant annual catch in national fisheries; the long half-life of Cs-137 (30.7 years) following the 2011 Fukushima incident; and the unknown extent of radiocesium bioaccumulation in the Pacific food chain at the trophic level immediately preceding human consumption.

Sheena’s research employs quantitative methods to measure and compare radiocesium levels across sample sites in the Bismarck Archipelago. It aims to produce baseline data for marine radiation monitoring, support food safety assessments, and provide an evidence base for policy development in Papua New Guinea.