PhD Student Profiles

CONTI FRANCESCO

Education: M.Law (University of Bologna); M. Terrorism, Security and Society (King’s College London)

Thesis Title: How the transnational Jihadist threat has evolved since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and how international counterterrorism is responding to the threat

Research Interest:

Terrorism
Radicalization
Insurgency
Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency
Intelligence

Email: [email protected]

ANG CHIN PIN ERIC

Education: BSc – Life Sciences with a Concentration in Biology, National University of Singapore, MSc – International Relations, RSIS

Thesis topic: Strong political will and avoidance of economic loss – Essential factors to Successfully Counter Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing in Southeast Asia (SEA)?

Research interests:

MARSEC issues in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific.

Email: [email protected]

YUSLIKHA KUSUMA WARDHANI

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia, Master of Science in Applied Psychology, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia

Thesis topic: Comparing the Psychological Impact of Incarceration on Male and Female Terrorist Convicts: Implications for Post-Prison Adjustment in Indonesia

Research interests: Terrorism in Indonesia, Deradicalisation in Indonesia, Rehabilitation and re-integration of Terrorist convicts in Indonesia

GU BIN

Education: LLB, China University of Mining and Technology; MSW, the University of Hong Kong; MSc, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), NTU

Thesis topic: Understanding the Policy Shift in China’s Foreign Aid

Research interests: Foreign Aid; China’s Foreign Policy; Soft Power; Cultural Diplomacy; Non-traditional Security Issues

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn

KONG GONGMULAN

Education: BBA (Macau University of Science and Technology); MSC (University College London)

Thesis topic: How Corporate Community Involvement Affects Perceptions of China: An Empirical Study of Chinese Multinational Corporations in Southeast Asia

Research interests: International Political Economy, Chinese Economic Diplomacy, Overseas Investment, Corporate Social Responsibility

Email: [email protected]

Resume

HU XINYUE

Education: BSc, Nanyang Technological University (NTU); MSc, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), NTU

Thesis topic: Beyond Coercion: Resilience of Semiconductor Multinational Corporations to U.S. Weaponized Interdependence

Research Interest: Economic Statecraft, Corporate Diplomacy, State Business Relations, Technology Policy

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn

Education: BL – International Politics (International Relations), Jinan University, MA – International Relations (Warwick-NTU Double Masters), University of Warwick, MSc – Asian Studies (Warwick-NTU Double Masters), RSIS

Thesis topic: Understanding China’s Economic Statecraft in International Politics

Research interests:

International Relations
Chinese Foreign Policy
China’s Economic Statecraft
Sino-US Relations
China’s Relations with Asia

Major Publications

Journal articles:

Xing, Jiaying. “Informal or Formal? A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of China’s Two-Tiered Sanctions Policy.” Chinese Political Science Review. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41111-025-00307-0.

Xing, Jiaying, and Mingjiang Li. “Moving to Formality and Openness? An Analysis of China’s New Two-Tiered Sanctions Policy.” China Review 23, no.1 (2023): 377-406.

Policy reports

Xing, Jiaying. “China’s New Sanctions Policy: Characteristics, Rationales and Policy Implications.” RSIS Policy Report, May 8, 2025. https://rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/rsis/chinas-new-sanctions-policy-characteristics-rationales-and-policy-implications/.

Email: [email protected]

Resume

PONG SOON WU

Education:

MSS (Nanyang Centre for Public Administration – Nanyang Technological University)

Thesis topic:

The Ideational Catalysts for Small States in the Global War for Talent

Research interests:

International Political Economy
U.S.-China Relations
Regionalism and ASEAN
Talent Policy

Email: [email protected]

SOW YI WEN

Education: B.A.(Hons) (Chinese Studies, University Tunku Abdul Rahman); Master of Law (International Relations, Nanjing University); Msc (International Relations, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies-Nanyang Technological University)

Thesis topic: The Soft Power Contest of China and Taiwan for Winning The Hearts of Malaysian Chinese

Research interests: Overseas Chinese Studies; Soft Power; Cross-Strait Relations; Foreign Policy and Politics of Malaysia; South China Sea

Email: [email protected]

Linkedin

Resume

JAMIL A GHANI

Education: Master of International Politics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

Thesis topic: Economic Gain for Security Pain: Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in ASEAN Resource Rich-Countries

Research interests: https://www.isis.org.my/author/jamil/

Malaysian foreign and national policies, culture and politics in contemporary Malaysia, and the impact of Chinese foreign direct investments in ASEAN resource-rich countries.
He has worked as a regulator in the Securities Commission of Malaysia (SC) and the Malaysian Petroleum Resources Corporation (MPRC).
As a former National Key Economic Area (NKEA) facilitator for the oil, gas and energy Performance and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU) lab, he has extensive experience in public-private partnerships and was involved in the development of the Pengerang Integrated Petrochemical Complex.
Jamil holds a Master of International Politics from the University of Melbourne.

Email: [email protected]

HERNANDEZ SHERLYN MAE FELICIANO

Education:

Master in International Studies (University of the Philippines Diliman, Philippines)
AB Major in Political Science, Cum Laude (De La Salle University – Manila, Philippines)

Thesis Topic:

The Personal is Regional: Feminist International Relations in Southeast Asia

Research Interests:

Feminist International Relations
Southeast Asian Studies
Critical Security Studies
The Politics of Communication
Art and International Relations

Email: [email protected]

Resume

LinkedIn

YAO BOWEN

Education: NTU (Bachelor); NUS LKYSPP (Master)

Thesis topic: Dances with a Giant: A Novel Theory of Hedging under Strategic Certainty

Research interests: IR theories; diplomatic history; Chinese and SE Asian foreign policies

Email: [email protected]

Linkedin

Resume

NODIRBEK SOLIEV

Education: LL.B. and LL.M. (University of World Economy and Diplomacy, Tashkent); M.Sc. (S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)

Thesis topic: Examining the Phenomenon of Fundamentalism Within Segments of Uzbek Immigrant Communities Abroad

Research interests:

Terrorist Propaganda/Strategies and Counterterrorism
Politico-Religious Ideologies and Fundamentalism
Transnational Diasporas, Minority Communities, and Radicalisation
Deradicalisation and Reintegration Policy Approaches
Irregular Warfare

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn

Resume

DIANDRA MEGAPUTRI MENGKO

Education: B. Political Science (International Relations, Parahyangan Chatolic University); MSc (Defence Management, Indonesian Defence University affiliated with Cranfield University)

Thesis Title: Parliamentary Oversight and Intelligence Reform in the Post Reformasi Indonesia

Research Interest:

Security Sector Reform in Indonesia
Intelligence Studies
Civil-Military Relations

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn

CHAN HIANG WEI ELGIN

Education: BSc (Hons) (Rutgers University – New Brunswick); MA (Columbia University); MSc (S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies – Nanyang Technological University)

Thesis Title: Renminbi Internationalization on China’s Political Power: A Regime Type, and Country Income Level Analysis

Research Interest: