Pascal is an economist undertaking research connected to Northern Australia’s development. He has been in the Northern Territory for nearly 30 years starting at the former Northern Territory University and lecturing in economics and later tourism and hospitality. He had previously taught at the University of Tasmania, the University of British Columbia and the Université du Québec à Montréal. His Ph.D. dissertation (University of Melbourne, 1998) examined the nature of economic coordination in the tourism system, and the role played by distinct inter-firm networks supporting differentiated learning strategies. It was awarded the TTRA W.B. Keeling tourism dissertation award for 1996-1998.

In the last 5 years since returning to CDU, research activty and interests have been more eclectic yet focused on regional (North Australia or NT) and workforce issues. Research and consultancy topics usually related to regional development strategies, business opportunities and workforce issues, including: social and economic benefits of transport infrastructure, international education impacts, youth unemployment concurrent with agriculture and hospitality skills shortages, Indigenous financial-commercial literacy, Indigenous tourism entrepreneurs and product development, Aboriginal and social objectives in public procurement, strategies to enhance employement of Aborignal locals in major projects located in remote regions, reframing of Nothern Australia supply chains, evaluation of general skilled migration in the NT, bushfood (Kakadu Plum) value chains, Barkly region workforce profile, application of resilience ideas for remote regions, etc.