SSEAC Newsletter
September 2024 edition
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Sydney Southeast Asia CentreFostering impactful research and trusted knowledge partnerships in Southeast Asia
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Inaugural Sydney Southeast Asia Research Innovation SymposiumThe Sydney Southeast Asia Centre is excited to announce its inaugural Sydney Southeast Asia Research Innovation Symposium to be held on 6 November 2024. This flagship event will showcase the research of the University of Sydney across Southeast Asia and bring together the wider University community to catalyse new research engagement in the region. The half-day program is an opportunity to hear experts from across all disciplines share their research impact in Southeast Asia and to learn how researchers have approached their academic engagement in the region. It's also an opportunity to meet SSEAC's country conveners and discuss effective research partnerships in specific Southeast Asian countries.
Other highlights include the finalists of our newly announced Ignition Grant scheme presenting their research funding pitch, with the winners announced on the day, and a Postgraduate Workshop facilitated by Dr Natali Pearson and Ms Emily Nabong (SSEAC Postgraduate Representative) aimed at supporting higher degree by research students to develop collaborative research projects and partnerships in Southeast Asia. The Symposium will conclude with networking drinks. Secure your spot today! SYMPOSIUM
When: Wednesday 6 November,12:00pm–5:30pm (AEDT)
Where: Refectory, Holme Building, University of Sydney
POSTGRADUATE WORKSHOP
When: Wednesday 6 November,10:30am–11:30am (AEDT)
Where: Cullen Room, Holme Building, University of Sydney
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SSEAC 2024 Ignition and Incubator grant schemes now open!
SSEAC is pleased to announce two new grant schemes aiming to turbocharge the University of Sydney’s research engagement in the region. Over the next two years, SSEAC will invest more than $300,000 to support academics from across the University’s Faculties and Schools working in Southeast Asia.
Our Ignition and Incubator Grant schemes will enable emerging and established researchers to grow their collaborative research in Southeast Asia and address challenges of significance to the region. - Ignition Grants (up to $100,000 each) will support University researchers with established research partnerships in Southeast Asia. Short-listed candidates will ‘pitch’ their research proposals at the inaugural Sydney Southeast Asia Research Innovation Symposium on 6 November 2024.
- Incubator Grants (up to $20,000 each) will support EMCRs at the University to implement formative research to address challenges of significance to Southeast Asia through multidisciplinary collaboration.
Applications close on Thursday 17 October 24, 5:00pm (AEDT).
We look forward to receiving your proposals!
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SSEAC Deputy Director appointedSSEAC is thrilled to announce the appointment of Professor Tiho Ancev as Deputy Director, Research Development. Tiho is a Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University’s School of Economics. He is SSEAC’s Vietnam Country Convenor, a member of the SSEAC Executive and member of the executive of the Sydney Vietnam Academic Network. His research interests are in the economics of climate change, the economics of agricultural policy, and the economics of water, energy and the environment. Tiho has researched on these topics in various regions of the world, including in Southeast Asia, primarily in Vietnam and Indonesia. He was the Managing Editor-in-Chief of the Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics until 2023.
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ARC DECRA success!
Congratulations to SSEAC’s Dr Natali Pearson, who has been awarded a prestigious Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) in the latest round. Dr Pearson is one of 200 early career researchers around Australia and one of 19 at the University of Sydney to be awarded funding under the ARC’s highly competitive DECRA scheme.
Her project, ‘Sunken Warships: Heritage Diplomacy in Maritime Southeast Asia’, will analyse the politics of maritime war heritage in a region of significant geopolitical complexity and strategic importance for Australia and the world. Focusing on Allied naval vessels from World War II, the project will address the unique political, social and environmental challenges posed by the presence of these wrecks in Southeast Asian waters. It aims to generate insights into the way power is advanced in the modern era and the value of heritage diplomacy as a tool for analysing changes in our region.
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APCOVE awarded $5m for second phase
Congratulations to Associate Professor Navneet Dhand, School of Veterinary Science and Director of the Asia Pacific Consortium of Veterinary Epidemiology (APCOVE), who has been awarded $5m for phase 2 of the project. Funded by the Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), this new funding builds on an initial $4.3 million DFAT grant for the project, which in 2023 saw APCOVE’s world-class training package for ‘animal disease detectives’ launched at the World Health Summit in Berlin. The package is designed to help veterinary practitioners and animal handlers detect and prevent infectious diseases in the field before they emerge as pandemics. In this second phase, Associate Professor Dhand will lead a team of veterinary epidemiologists from all eight veterinary schools in Australia and New Zealand along with regional partners to implement field epidemiology training across the Asia-Pacific, including in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Timor-Leste and Vietnam, and to advance work towards improving One Health capacity in the region. The Vietnamese language training package of the APCOVE project was launched at the Sydney Vietnam Institute in Hanoi in September.
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New NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence
Infectious disease control in Southeast Asia will be a major focus of the new NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Tuberculosis (TB-CRE). Led by Professor Greg Fox (SSEAC interim Director and Faculty of Medicine and Health academic), the TB-CRE will drive transformative changes in TB control on a national and global scale. Most of the 10 million people affected by TB each year live in the Asia-Pacific region. Australian researchers and collaborators across the region have a key role to play in revolutionising the global fight against TB and nurturing the next generation of TB research leaders essential for ending the TB pandemic. The research team includes Professor Ben Marais and Associate Professor Sarah Bernays (Faculty of Medicine and Health), and Sydney Vietnam Institute Executive Director Professor Thu-Anh Nguyen. Congratulations to Professor Fox and the team!
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Professor Minasny elected to Australian Academy of Science
Congratulations to Professor Budiman Minasny (Sydney Institute of Agriculture and School of Life and Environmental Sciences), who has been elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. Fellows of the Academy are nominated by their peers and are recognised as leaders in their fields. Professor Minasny has pioneered digital soil mapping methods that are vital for maintaining soil health and supporting global agriculture. His techniques allow for quick and accurate assessment of soil carbon levels at any scale, facilitating a range of practical applications, including soil carbon benchmarking and international efforts to boost soil carbon initiated during the Paris COP21 discussions.
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|  | Inspiring PhD students and fellows at the International Livestock Research Institute
| |  | Introduction to researchers from the
National Institute of Animal Science
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Biosecurity and welfare: Smallholder pigs in northern Vietnam
Pork remains the most widely consumed meat in Vietnam with 80% produced by smallholder and semi-industrial farms. Raising pigs is an important source of household income in the rural provinces of northern Vietnam. With a growing market for indigenous pork products among urban consumers who have increasing awareness of food safety and animal welfare, improving the health and welfare of indigenous pigs could strengthen the marketability of smallholder pork and the livelihoods of rural families.
The investigation was a collaboration with Associate Professor Dr Le Thi Thanh Huyen, a leading researcher of indigenous pig systems in northern Vietnam, and ILRI’s Dr Fred Unger and Dr Sinh Dang, who investigate interventions to improve pork safety in Vietnam.
The residency coincided with Associate Professor Toribio completing an Invited Expert review of a new biosecurity assessment survey for backyard/smallholder pig production for Biocheck.UGent, an online platform to evaluate the quality of on-farm biosecurity.
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 | Village health volunteers in Thailand check the blood pressure of a local woman. Photo credit: Anjalee Cohen
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| Research highlights challenges for village health volunteers in Thailand
Thailand’s village health volunteers (VHVs) have risen to prominence in recent years due to their critical role and success in helping to curb the spread of avian influenza and COVID-19. This success is commonly attributed to the development of the VHV movement in the 1980s and 1990s led by reformist Thai doctors who envisaged a decentralised health care system that emphasised VHVs as community oriented, empowered agents of change. However, new research by Dr Anjalee Cohen reveals that VHVs have become enmeshed in a centralised, hierarchical and top-down system controlled by the Ministry of Public Health. While VHVs have been effective state agents for a range of health problems, the early ideals of empowering VHVs have not been realised.
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 | From left: Anthony Glanville, Senior International Advisor for CARE, Associate Professor Neeloy Alam and Dr Elizabeth Kirkwood with fellow researchers at CARE Laos in Vientiane
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|  | Qualitative research consultant Slackchay Rasprasith interviewing women on their experience of maternal and child health services in rural Laos
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Women’s participation in health services in rural Laos
The visit focused on refining interview guidelines and training field staff in the capital Vientiane. Following the training, the field team conducted qualitative data collection in Phongsaly (northern Laos) and Sekong (southern Laos), aiming to identify key factors influencing women's access to health services in rural regions.
Dr Kirkwood and Associate Professor Alam will analyse the data with the team at CARE Laos and provide a report of recommendations for addressing the gender-based challenges women face in accessing sexual and reproductive health services.
This work will provide the basis for further gender-based analysis looking at women’s livelihoods and the impact on their health and nutrition status in rural Laos.
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Recent events
—news on workshops, webinars, partnerships and more
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|  | H.E. Mr Derek Yip, Australian Ambassador to Cambodia (at left), hears from SSEAC members on their research in Cambodia and Australia Awards scholarship recipients studying at the University
| |  | From left: Professor Luke Nottage, Dr Natali Pearson, Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Political-Security Community, Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz, Professor Justin Hastings, Professor Tiho Ancev and Ms Sabrina Loo, Policy Officer, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
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SSEAC hosts a number of visiting dignitaries
In July, Professor Greg Fox hosted H.E. Mr Derek Yip, the incoming Australian Ambassador to Cambodia. Discussion centred on the University’s diverse research partnerships in Cambodia, including in agriculture, higher education reform, One Health and legal justice system. SSEAC members Dr Rachel Killean, Professor Daniel Tan and Associate Professor Navneet Dhand spoke about their research and partnerships in Cambodia. The Ambassador also heard from five Australia Awards scholarship recipients from Cambodia studying at the University.
In August, SSEAC hosted the Rector of the Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa’e, Professor Dr João Soares Martins, and Vice-Rector Student Affairs, Professor Dr Lígia Tomás Correia. University of Sydney academics and postdoctoral students discussed their research projects in Timor-Leste ranging from HPV vaccination and climate adaptation based on indigenous knowledge to evaluating human rights obligations and practices, and mental health. The group also discussed potential future collaboration in research.
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Celebrating partnership with Vietnam
Congratulations to the Sydney Vietnam Academic Network on the release of the Sydney Vietnam Engagement booklet, featuring 19 case studies that illustrate the transformative impact of research initiatives in areas such as tuberculosis treatment, breast cancer diagnostics, One Health, agriculture and entrepreneurship. It also sheds light on cultural exchanges spanning museum conservation, digital media and jazz improvisation.Overseen by an Editorial Committee comprising Professor Tiho Ancev, Professor Daniel Tan, Professor Greg Fox, and Ms Xing Jin who also managed the project, the publication not only highlights the University of Sydney’s sustained commitment over four decades to fostering collaboration with Vietnam across various fields of research and education but also serves as an inspiring roadmap for future partnerships.
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 | Jess Simpson, NCP International Liaison Officer, with Dr Natali Pearson, holding a paddle for each year she ran a SSEAC field school, at the NCP 10-year anniversary Alumni Forum in Canberra
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New Columbo Plan celebrates 10-year anniversary
Established in 2014, the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan (NCP) is commemorating the program’s 10-year anniversary through a series of events and initiatives in 2024. In September, Jess Simpson, University of Sydney NCP International Liaison Officer, and Dr Natali Pearson, SSEAC’s Curriculum Coordinator, represented the University at the NCP Alumni Forum held at the National Gallery of Australia. The event brought together over 300 people including student alumni, government officials, members of the diplomatic corps and university representatives to celebrate this milestone. “It was a privilege representing the University of Sydney NCP academic and professional staff community at the event. As the International Liaison Officer for the NCP, it’s always great to come together with colleagues from around the country to discuss and share our experiences working under this government funding platform,” Jess said.
“The 10-year anniversary event was a great reflection of how far the program has come, and the work still to be done to continue to support mobility into the Indo-Pacific. It was wonderful to have Natali there to represent our academic community, and to recognise SSEAC’s work in designing and delivering these transformational field schools for students from across the University of Sydney. We look forward to gathering the wider University NCP community on campus towards the end of semester for our own NCP 10-year anniversary celebration.”
The keynote address was delivered by Assistant Foreign Minister, the Hon Tim Watts MP. The evening also featured remarks by Dr Elise Stephenson from the inaugural cohort of NCP scholars in 2014 and a cultural performance by an alumna, Suraya Newell, a 2022 NCP Malaysia Fellow.
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Upcoming events and opportunities
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Webinar: Get to know the Australian Research Council
- recent changes in the ARC, including the Board
- current priorities and areas of focus for the ARC, including recent announcements
- common misunderstandings around ARC grants and some myth-busting.
There will also be a chance at the end of the webinar to ask questions.
When: Tuesday 1 October 2024, 12:00pm (AEST)
SSEAC is a member of STA. All University of Sydney staff who are SSEAC members are covered by our STA membership.
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Call for abstracts: Indonesia Council Open Conference 2025
Indonesia by the year 2025 will have experienced 80 years of independence. Across those eight decades the country has experienced an array of political systems, engaged diverse ideas and formed a range of global connections presenting varied opportunities and consequences for Indonesian people. How do Indonesians today imagine their place in the world? How are they responding to emerging domestic and regional challenges? What is the role of Indonesia scholars in analysing and communicating these challenges?
The Indonesia Council Open Conference (ICOC) call for papers will open in October 2024. The ICOC invite abstract submissions from any disciplines for individual papers, panels and roundtable discussions that reflect on the conference theme and questions.
Submissions close early November 2024.
ICOC 2025, ‘Indonesia Now: 80 Years of Independence’, will be held at the University of Melbourne on 7–10 July 2025.
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Call for papers: Natural climate solutions in Southeast Asia workshop
The Carbon Governance in Southeast Asia (CGSEA) project at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore (NUS), invite proposals for a workshop on ‘Natural Climate Solutions in Southeast Asia: Positioning Local Carbon Transitions within Global Frameworks’ to be held on 8–9 May 2025.
Proposals should include a title, an abstract (250–300 words) and a brief personal biography (150 words). Submissions close Tuesday 15 October 2024 and should be submitted to valerie.yeo@nus.edu.sg at NUS.
Successful applicants will be notified by 31 October 2024 and completed draft papers (5,000–8,000K words) will be due by 15 April 2025. Selected papers will be developed for inclusion in a special issue in an international journal.
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More events
- The value of independence: Lessons learned from Timor-Leste’s path to freedom. Join José Ramos-Horta, President of Timor-Leste and a Nobel Peace Laureate, for an evening on the value of independence. Tuesday 8 October 2024, 6:00pm (AEDT) | Sydney Opera House Concert Hall | Tickets selling fast
- Gardens of the Apocalypse: What happens after collapse? Using the archetypal 15th century urban collapse of Angkor, in modern Cambodia, as case study, Professor Dan Penny will consider what happens after collapse and question the utility of collapse as a frame for understanding change in pre-modern societies. Tuesday, 22 October 2024, 5:00pm for 5:30pm start| Chau Chak Wing Museum
- Haunting History: The art and (life-) writings of Mia Bustam and Katharine Sim. In this presentation, Dr Yvonne Low will speak on the feminist model of life writing in the writings of painters Mia Bustam and Katharine Sim, and the art histories of Indonesia and Malaya.
Thursday, 31 October 2024, 3:00pm–4.30pm (AEDT) | Schaeffer Seminar Room, RC Mills Building and via Zoom - Research, outputs and ethics in collaboration: Reflections from Myanmar. What does it look like to work in a collaborative research project from start to finish? Are all collaborators working towards the same goal or can different goals be realised? How can research ‘outputs’ be reconceptualised or expanded when working in collaboration? Elizabeth Rhoads (Lund University) and Jenny Hedström (Swedish Defence University) share their experiences: Yangon Stories and Land, Labor, Love and Revolution. Thursday 14 November 2024, 3:30–5:00pm | Seminar Room 203, RD Watt Building, University of Sydney
- When Home is an Empty Italian Villa in the Philippines: The Semiotics of Consumption of Filipino Domestic Workers in Italy, 1980s–2018. This 2024 A.R. Davis Lecture delivered by Professor Mina Roces (UNSW) will look at Filipino domestic workers in Italy and the transnational positions they occupy. Thursday 21 November 2024, 5:00pm–6:30pm | The Michael Spence Building (F23), Level 5, Room 501, University of Sydney
- FMH Networks EMCR Symposium. This 3-day event offers a full program of presentations, interactive sessions and career-building workshops especially for early- and mid-career researchers, along with social mixers and networking opportunities. The FMH Networks will each host a research showcase session highlighting current projects and collaborations in their related disciplines and fields. Monday 25 November 2024 – Wednesday 27 November 2024 | Susan Wakil Health Building, University of Sydney
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Colloquium of the Language and Cultures Network for Australian Universities
The LCNAU Eighth Biennial Conference will be held on 27–29 November 2024 at the University of Sydney.
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Opening the Multilingual Archive of Australia Conference
Registrations are now open for the Opening the Multilingual Archive of Australia (OMAA) Conference, which will explore themes of ‘Multilingual archives and histories’ and ‘Multilingualism in translation’. Australian Anglocentrism raises essential questions about the dynamics of living in a multilingual society. The OMAA Conference aims to mobilise Australia’s considerable, under-utilised non-English language resources to rethink our migrant and settler history.The OMAA Conference will be held on 2–3 December 2024 at the University of Sydney.
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Undermining Resistance
In Undermining Resistance: The Governance of Participation by Multinational Mining Corporations (Manchester University Press, 2024), Dr Lian Sinclair (School of Geosciences) develops a new critical political economy approach to studying extractive accumulation, drawing on three detailed Indonesian cases to explain how participatory mechanisms continuously reshape and are reshaped by community-corporate conflict. Findings highlight feedback between local social relations, conflict, transnational activism, crises of legitimacy and global governance.
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Biolegality: A Critical Introduction
How does biotechnology and new bioscientific knowledge affect our legal institutions, our sense of justice, and our ways of relating to one another? To answer these questions, Biolegality: A Critical Introduction (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) co-authored by Professor Sonja van Wichelen (School of Social and Political Sciences) examines the complex and often contested ways in which biotechnology and biological knowledge are reworked by, with, and against legal knowledge.
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SSEAC Stories is the flagship Podcast of the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre. It features interviews with leading experts on Southeast Asia from across the University and the region. SSEAC Stories is available on the NBN website and all the main podcasting apps: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more!
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Politics in Action special series
The SSEAC Stories podcast brings you updates about the politics of the region in our Politics in Action special series. Held in May, SSEAC’s flagship Politics in Action forum brought together expert speakers from Australia and the region who provided insightful analysis on the current state of politics in Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam. After the event, SSEAC Stories podcast host Dr Natali Pearson spoke with our experts to delve further into the political situation of each of the six countries for this special series. Listen to:
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In the media
- The official launch of the University of Sydney Vietnam Institute has generated enormous interest from across Vietnam and the region with articles published in Voice of Vietnam, Mirage News, VietnamNet Global, Viet Nam News, Vietnam Plus, BioSpectrum Asia, Tuoi Tre News and University of Sydney News, among others.
- Professor Luke Nottage wrote for East Asia Forum on strengthening anti-corruption measures in free trade agreements in Asia. The article draws on his co-authored book, Corruption and Illegality in Asian Investment Arbitration (Springer Publishing, 2024).
- PhD candidate Emily Nabong and Dr Aaron Opdyke wrote for The Conversation on the need to design and prepare fast-growing cities for climate-boosted disasters such as Super Typhoon Gaemi which hit urban centres in the Philippines the hardest.
- Associate Professor Aim Sinpeng was quoted by ABC News on the Thai Constitutional Court’s ruling to dissolve the opposition Move Forward Party. She also wrote for East Asia Forum on the return of autocratic politics in Thailand after a brief period of democratisation.
- Professor Simon Butt wrote in The Conversation on outgoing President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo’s dynastic ambitions in Indonesia and his determination to maintain power and influence after he leaves office despite recent setbacks.
- PhD candidate and SSEAC member Umar was featured in University of Sydney News on his fight for disability rights and advocacy for inclusive education and healthcare.
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Join the conversation!
SSEAC is connecting with thousands of individuals and organisations engaging in Southeast Asia every month on social media. Join the conversation to share your work, hear about our latest events and seminars, and be the first to know about grants, research and opportunities in Southeast Asia.
If you have a recently published article, book review, or interview that you’d like to share with a Southeast Asia-focused community, let us know! Email sseac@sydney.edu.au with the details, or tag us in your tweet @seacsydney.
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