Researchers
Assistant Professor of Political Science, School of Social Sciences
Email sdettman@smu.edu.sg
Dr Sebastian Dettman research on political parties, electoral competition, and political representation in newly democratic and authoritarian regimes, with a focus on Malaysia and Indonesia.
Associate Professor of Political Science, School of Social Sciences
Email jdonaldson@smu.edu.sg
Dr John Donaldson primarily researches rural poverty in China, but has also published on rural poverty in Thailand, as well as urban poverty and unmet needs in Singapore. In addition to these projects, he is currently completing a project on the relationship between rural poverty and sustainable palm production.
Assistant Professor of Politics & History of Southeast Asia, School of Social Sciences
Email deandulay@smu.edu.sg
Dr Dean Dulay's research interests include the political economy of development, political and economic history, and political institutions and organizations. He has a regional interest in Southeast Asia, specifically the Philippines.
Assistant Professor of Political Science, School of Social Sciences
Email colmfox@smu.edu.sg
Dr Colm Fox studies comparative politics and political communications in Southeast Asia. His research interests include electoral competition, ethnic and religious politics, political representation, as well as the media and visual politics.
Assistant Professor of Sociology, School of Social Sciences
Email yasmino@smu.edu.sg
Dr Yasmin Ortiga's research focuses on skilled migration from and within Southeast Asia. She is interested in how institutions within sending countries like the Philippines attempt to produce ideal workers for the global economy.
Assistant Professor of Humanities, School of Social Sciences
Email csetijadi@smu.edu.sg
Dr Charlotte Setijadi is an anthropologist and oral historian of ethnic Chinese communities in Southeast Asia (SEA), particularly in Indonesia. She is also an analyst of Asian transnational migration patterns and China's soft-power efforts in Asia Pacific. Charlotte's current research projects include an ethnographic study of the Indonesian diaspora and a SSRC-funded joint research project that looks at the relationship between China (PRC) and ethnic Chinese communities in SEA.
Associate Professor of Political Science, School of Social Sciences
Email jacobricks@smu.edu.sg
Dr Jacob Rick's conducts research on a number of topics bridging three fields of study: comparative politics, development studies, and Southeast Asian studies. His work has included projects on institutional reforms and state capacity in developing countries, the politics of agriculture and irrigation, and nationalism and ethnicity politics. Jacob has spent significant time conducting fieldwork in both Thailand and Indonesia, and he speaks both Thai and Indonesian. Currently, he is investigating the ways in which the people of Northeast Thailand interact with the Thai state.
Assistant Professor of Arts and Cultural Management, School of Social Sciences
Email davidocon@smu.edu.sg
Dr David Ocon is an interdisciplinary cultural historian who analyses ASEAN cultural relations and diplomacy with other countries in the Asian region, in particular China, Japan and South Korea. He also works at the intersection of cultural heritage preservation, digitalisation, and urban environments in Singapore and Southeast Asia.