Professor Gariba Danbaro, Acting Dean, Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, Research and Innovation

It is an honor to welcome you to the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, Research and Innovation of this remarkable University. It is the only technological university in Papua New Guinea and the South Pacific Island Countries, excluding Australia and New Zealand. This Faculty proudly coordinates postgraduate teaching and learning, research, and innovation across all the Faculties and Schools of the University.

As a student, our postgraduate programs will provide you the wonderful opportunity to start a new career or expand your knowledge and skills in fields related to your current area of professional specialization. We are passionate about teaching, learning, and research, fostering
attributes such as critical thinking, life-long learning, effective communication, and technological astuteness in our students.

Our Faculty is the largest of its kind in Papua New Guinea and the only one that offers postgraduate programs in engineering and its allied disciplines in the country. Currently, the University has 20 PhD, 34 Masters, 3 PG Diploma and 2 PG Certificate programs, including 3
Master’s programs in distance mode. These programs cover basic and applied sciences, built environment, natural resources, and social sciences. We believe that postgraduate training, research, and innovation are critical for the scientific, technological, and social advancement of mankind as a whole. All our postgraduate degree programs have a research component which allows our students to hone their research skills and deepen their knowledge in their area of interest. The research and innovation mandate of the University allows staff and students to partner with businesses, government, and communities to find solutions to developmental challenges in the country and elsewhere in the world. Our Faculty has collaborative research and postgraduate training partnerships with several Universities around the globe and with many institutions including ACIAR, and EU mobility programs like, CARPIMS, BULA, ERASMUS, ERASMUS-Plus, etc. We actively foster mutually beneficial partnerships between our staff, students, international organizations, other universities, industry, and local communities to acquire real-world knowledge and skills. There are many funding opportunities offered by the University, and its partners to support your research work and attendance at conferences and seminars.

Our main campus in the industrial city of Lae offers a secure, calming, and beautiful vista of lush tropical flora and fauna surrounding academic and residential developments, which is very conducive to academic work.

I invite you to navigate the internet to our website and other social media platforms to explore our postgraduate programs. Our team of highly qualified academics, competent technical officers, and administrative professionals in the various Faculties and Schools are at your
disposal. Whether you are a prospective or continuing student, a stakeholder, or even a casual visitor, please feel free to reach out us. We look forward to working with you to achieve your dreams.

Professor Gariba Danbaro,
Acting Dean, Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, Research and Innovation
PNG University of Technology, │PMB, Lae, MP411, │ Papua New Guinea.│Tel (675)473 4451/4392 │Email: info.pgs@pnguot.ac.pg or gariba.danbaro@pnguot.ac.pg │Website: www.unitech.ac.pg

In the 21^st century, undertaking postgraduate studies at university is not a luxury, but a necessity for knowledge-based employment on the part of graduates as well as for successful innovation and research on the part of institutions. No sustainable economic growth can be achieved in a country without the understanding and use of science and technology. Postgraduate studies are thereby necessary not only for innovation, but also to use the innovation for individual and social wellbeing and national development. . Use of science and technology for the growth and development depends on the skilled population of a nation, and that in turn requires a well equipped, robust and effective university system – the only and the best way to produce and maintain these skills among the populace. Increasing the capacity of higher education institutions is, therefore, the crucial element in making science and technology contribute to a country’s overall growth and development.

Postgraduate studies and research have always been the cornerstone for the PNG University of Technology’s academic programs. UNITECH embarked on the postgraduate programs since its inception 51 years ago. UNITECH graduated its first PhD degree-holder in 1976. Since then, there were many ups-and-downs that forced UNITECH to rethink its focus and strengthening of in-house PG studies and research. Over time, and with technological developments and experiences under its belt, UNITECH embarked on “UNITECH 2030” to align its focus and direction with current Government policies, as articulated in Vision 2050, and DSP 2030 with the strategic development goals of: Promotion of scholarships, Externalization of academic programs and encouraging Entrepreneurial quality development. To promote scholarship qualities and further strengthen its in-house PG programs, UNITECH introduced a Graduate Assistantship Program (GAP) in 2001 to attract promising first-degree graduates with good academic standing and/or industrial experience to study for Masters and PhD degrees. UNITECH now offers the research based degrees of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), and Master of Philosophy (MPhil); as well as course-based Masters, PG diplomas and PG Certificate programs. Currently, all 13 academic departments have PG programs; and most of them offer degrees to the PhD level.

Furthermore, a couple of academic departments are also offering online Masters courses. Overall, UNITECH now has the largest PG program in the country and is still expanding. The university annually organizes the research presentation by the postgraduate students to showcase the PG studies and research capabilities; communication and presentation skills to wider community to encourage development of research culture at UNITECH and PNG as a whole. University academics, students, staff and other stakeholders from the related organizations/institutions attend this annual event which is a hallmark of UNITECH.

To further strengthen the PG studies and research programs, UNITECH appointed a Dean in 2013 for the PG school to coordinate all PG activities. Moreover, the University created 4 Professorial positions in each academic department, followed by an active recruitment drive to have senior academics with experience in PG supervision join the university; and also created Adjunct Faculty positions to take advantage of the talent available in sister organizations/institutions for PG supervision; and established MoUs with different organizations/institutions to take advantage of both added human resources and research facilities; as well as all the academic departments having a strategic plan with priorities in PG studies and research along with specific KPIs developed in line with national priorities and development goals.

UNITECH is now working towards internationalization of its academic programs to integrate an international, intercultural, and global dimension into its larger purpose, that is, the able functioning or delivery of globally competitive talent. To achieve this goal, the University seeks to recruit international students; students, increase staff and scholars exchange programs, promote internationalization of its curriculum, and foster research and education partnerships between institutions (regionally and internationally). This in turn will provide a competitive advantage to UNITECH in terms of innovation, maintaining a high level of quality, aiding committed to corporate and social responsibility and continuing to strive to provide the best education for students and graduates in PNG and the region, while encouraging ongoing adaption to different countries and cultures. Through such initiatives, both UNITECH and partner universities will benefit from each other’s experience, best practices, develop innovative approaches to learning, elaborating opportunities for collaborative research, and boosting interpersonal skills and job prospects of graduates. As a part of internationalization of UNITECH, our Vice Chancellor, Dr. Albert Schram, took the initiative in 2012 to partner with Caribbean and Pacific Island Mobility Scheme (CARPIMS), Building University Links for Action (BULA) and the Associate Partners with DREAM-ACP, KITE, and AGLE projects funded by the European Union under ERASMUS Mundus.