Welcome! I’m the HSBC Chair in Asian Research and an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia, where I hold a joint appointment in the School of Public Policy & Global Affairs and the Department of Political Science. I also serve as Director of UBC's Institute of Asian Research and Associate Editor (Southeast Asia) at Pacific Affairs.
My research focuses on political economy, governance, and development in Southeast Asia, with a particular emphasis on democratization, geopolitics, and Canada’s engagement with the Indo-Pacific. My work has been published in leading academic journals, including the American Political Science Review, Democratization, Canadian Foreign Policy Journal, Political Science Research and Methods, Journal of East Asian Studies, and Asian Survey. My analyses and commentary have also appeared in outlets such as The Atlantic, Bloomberg, CBC, The Guardian, Nikkei Asian Review, Globe and Mail, and the South China Morning Post.
Beyond academia, I work closely with practitioners across governments, international organizations, and think tanks to bridge academic research with policy challenges. I regularly participate in Track 1.5 and Track 2 diplomatic dialogues and have delivered briefings and training sessions to the Canadian, US, and Southeast Asian governments. I have also worked as a consultant with the World Bank, the International Development Research Centre, and the Canada-ASEAN Business Council, among others.
I hold research appointments as a Senior Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, an Associate Senior Fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, and a Distinguished Fellow at the Penang Institute in Malaysia. I also serve on the executive council of the Southeast Asia Research Group. Previously, I was Chair of APSA’s Southeast Asian Politics Related Group and Vice President of the Canadian Council for Southeast Asian Studies. When I can, I bike or run to keep my head clear.