Niki JP Alsford

Niki Alsford is Professor of Anthropology and Human Geography, and Director for the Institutes for the Study of the Asia Pacific (ISAP), and the Institute for Area and Migration Studies (AMIS) at the University of Lancashire. He is a Research Associate at the Centre of Taiwan Studies at SOAS and an Associate Member of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford. Alsford's research focuses primarily on comparative anthropology and human geography within the Asia Pacific region. Central to his work is the study of Austronesian migration and the maritime cultures of the Pacific Islands. His current research bridges interpretive anthropology and environmental science by addressing the cognitive gap between Indigenous knowledge systems and climate science, demonstrating how each offers vital insights into understanding and responding to environmental change globally. Alsford is a registered Chartered Geographer, and is an elected fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (with-IBG), the Royal Anthropological Institute, the Royal Asiatic Society, and the Explorer’s Club. He also works as the Country of Origin Expert for Taiwan, the Pacific Islands, and North Korea for AMERA International and the United Nation’s International Refugee Rights Initiative (UNRRI).