Research
Georgetown SFS Asia Pacific (GSAP) grounds its research in the real-world policy challenges across the Asia Pacific.
Combining academic rigor with field-based collaboration, faculty work on long-term research projects to generate actionable insights along four research streams: natural resources, urban issues, poverty and politics.
From the governance of oceans, forests, and minerals to the dynamics of rapid urbanization, inequality and democratic institutions, this work bridges rigorous analysis with practical relevance for governments, international organizations, and development partners.
Research initiatives
Georgetown SFS Asia Pacific faculty work closely with government and institutional partners to generate actionable insights on some of the region’s most complex challenges. Current partnerships include ongoing collaboration with the Provincial Government of DKI Jakarta and the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) on flooding hydrology—to generate actionable insights on urban resilience and environmental risk.
Current projects also examine innovative solutions such as optimizing the co-location of seaweed cultivation and coral reef restoration, as well as the environmental and social impacts of illegal mining across the region.
Faculty
Our research is led by a team of world-class scholars and experienced practitioners whose work spans the Asia Pacific and Global South. Meet the faculty driving Georgetown SFS Asia Pacific’s research agenda.
Publications
GSAP faculty produce research that contributes to both academic scholarship and real-world policy debates, with a focus on the Asia Pacific and Global South. This work reflects the same applied, policy-oriented approach that defines our teaching and research initiatives; this work bridges rigorous analysis with practical relevance for governments, international organizations and development partners.
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From the air to the ocean: revealing cetacean assemblages in the Southeastern Indian Ocean
Cetaceans are highly mobile marine species that pose substantial research challenges due to their wide home ranges, migratory behavior, and low detectability across vast and remote oceanic regions.