Rufino Varea is a PhD scholar at the University of the South Pacific and an Indigenous Rotuman scientist researching marine ecotoxicology. He is a recipient of the Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) Research Grant and has a publishing background in the natural sciences and social sciences. He is also an alumnus of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Blue Charter under the Commonwealth Marine Plastics Research & Innovation Framework and the ACU-British Council Commonwealth Futures Climate Research Cohort, where he represented Oceania at the Conference of Parties (COP 26 & 27).