Rate My Professor Vanisha Mishra-Vakaoti

Dr. Vanisha Mishra-Vakaoti serves as a Teaching Fellow and Coordinator of Pacific Student Support in the Division of Sciences at the University of Otago. Hailing from Fiji, she earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) in South Pacific Studies, followed by a PhD from the Australian National University. Her doctoral thesis investigated the experiences of children’s schooling and factors leading to discontinuing schooling in Fiji. Her academic foundation lies in psychology and social research, complemented by over 13 years as an independent research consultant across the Pacific region. In this capacity, she acted as the Fiji consultant for the International Women’s Development Agency’s Individual Deprivation Measure project, the first to assess deprivation at the individual level. She co-led the Citizens’ Constitutional Forum’s nationwide consultation on the 2013 Fiji Constitution and served as lead researcher for the Pacific Community’s 100 Pacific Leaders study spanning Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands. Additionally, as Child Protection and Gender Specialist, she contributed to a Fiji Government and Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade initiative developing child-friendly, culturally sensitive educational materials for primary school students.

At the University of Otago, Dr. Mishra-Vakaoti supports Pacific undergraduate and postgraduate students through academic skills workshops via the Pacific Community and Support Team, teaching contributions to various papers across the Division of Sciences and the wider university, and individualized academic sessions. Her approach emphasizes fostering belonging in academia, enabling students to maintain their cultural identities while pursuing excellence. Her research interests center on Pacific learners in higher education, social factors influencing academic stress and success among Pasifika students, and inclusive educational practices. Notable publications include Young, C. D., Vakaoti, P., Colombo, M. S., & Mishra-Vakaoti, V. (2025). "Supporting and engaging with Pacific learners: A higher education development workshop for tertiary staff" in Higher Education Research & Development; Vakaoti, P., & Mishra-Vakaoti, V. (2015). "Social media and the 2014 elections in Fiji" in The Round Table; and Mishra-Vakaoti, V., & Vakaoti, P. (2014). "Understanding the 2013 Constitution: A perceptions survey" in Fiji in Transition: Towards a Sustainable Constitutional Democracy. She has also co-authored conference posters, such as Tausi et al. (2024) on CK2 phosphorylation and RyR2 clusters.