A manager and agriculture researcher at the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa (SROS) has successfully completed the prestigious Meryl Williams Fellowship in Malaysia.

The Manager for the Plants & Postharvest Technologies Division at the SROS, Masuisuialemalietoa Dr. Seeseei Molimau-Samasoni successfully completed and graduated from the program last week in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

According to a press release issued Tuesday by the Samoa government research entity, the Meryl Williams Fellowship is a prestigious capacity-building initiative funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and the Australian government to support female agricultural researchers across the Indo-Pacific to improve their leadership and management skills. The training was conducted by the University of New England (UNE) International Capacity Building Team, co-led by Professor Rebecca Spence (Director) and Associate Prof. Phil Harrell.

The fellowship provides women in agricultural science with greater access to resources, building collaborative networks, supporting career development and advancement, and driving institutional progress towards gender equity. In its 2020 selection round for the second cohort of Meryl Williams Fellows, 160 applications were received and only 20 women were selected with Masuisui from SROS one of them.

The capacity building program started in early 2021 with online modules, with its first in-person workshop in Armidale, Australia in August 2022. The capacity building program included modules on understanding oneself through DiSC Profile, leading with values, gender and social inclusion, building high-performing teams, project management and research project management, strategic communication, partnership brokering, innovation, strategic leadership, proactive management and career development.

The last modules of the program were delivered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 6-17 November at its last in-person workshop and conference event where Masuisui successfully completed the program and graduated together with her fellow cohort on 14 November 2023.

The SROS Board of Directors, management and staff congratulated Masuisui on her achievement and they look forward to her putting into practice her learning from this prestigious fellowship for the further development of the organisation.