Started his research career in the think tank sector, Dr. Lee Chee Leong (Karl) is attracted to the rise of non-traditional diplomacy in the international order today. Such appeal has taken Dr. Lee into new research horizons that started with his Monash University's doctoral research on the Chinese sub-state diplomacy in China-ASEAN economic cooperation. With constructive supervision by Professor Helen Nesadurai and Associate Professor Kuik Cheng Chwee, Dr. Lee completed his doctoral thesis that unravels how a faraway and least developed sub-state of Guangxi managed to overcome its own hurdles, navigate the complexities within the Chinese state and become the frontline actor in China-ASEAN economic cooperation. Following his doctoral completion, Dr. Lee's research on non-traditional diplomacy has expanded into Taiwan’s quasi-state diplomacy in Southeast Asia. Such quest has led him spending at great length in comprehending the concept of soft power, a concept that finds its relevance to Taiwan, which has no official diplomatic with Southeast Asia but is heavily connected to the region and has to rely on soft power in its engagements with these Southeast Asian nations. Taking Malaysia as the first case study of Taiwan's soft power in the region, Dr. Lee is developing the third intervening variable correlating both Taiwanese soft power resources and outcomes, in his course of providing a dynamical explanation for such phenomenon. For the coming years, his research focus and publications will be on the different areas featuring Taiwan-Malaysia and Taiwan-Southeast Asia cooperation such as digital social innovation (DSI) for climate change, industry-based education/training programmes, smart cities, tourism, digital democracy, agriculture, public health and medicine, ornamental aquaculture and aquascape. To date, Dr. Lee was the recipient of several scholarships and fellowships in Malaysia and overseas: University of Malaya’s Graduate Fellowship (2010-2011); Monash University’s Merit Scholarship (2016-2019); Chinese Government Scholarship (2018-2019); and Taiwan Fellowship (2020). Prior to his appointment as Senior Lecturer at the Institute of China Studies (ICS), he was the Visiting Scholar at Guangxi University for Nationalities (GXUN) (2018-10992019), Taiwan Fellow at National Chengchi University (NCCU) (2020) and Associate Fellow at ICS UM (2016-2019).He welcomes any potential PhD candidate who would like to work on Taiwan-Southeast Asia relations, Taiwan's soft power in Southeast Asia and Taiwan-Malaysia DSI cooperation for climate change. He is also willing to discuss with potential doctoral candidates on proposals related to the Chinese sub-state (provincial) diplomacy toward ASEAN, China's soft power in ASEAN, Southeast Asian sub-state diplomacy, comparative cases of sub-state diplomacy around the world and conceptual innovation of sub-state diplomacy as well as soft power. 

Professional Summary I am a dedicated Language Lecturer in the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, specializing in Filipino Language and Culture, as well as English proficiency in speaking and writing. With six years of prior experience in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, I have cultivated an effective, positive, and adaptable teaching style, demonstrating a willingness to extend my efforts beyond conventional classroom settings. My background as an Administration Professional, where I managed business relations and special projects at the senior management level, has equipped me with exceptional problem-solving abilities and strong oral and written communication skills. These experiences have enabled me to efficiently handle multiple tasks while meeting tight deadlines.Throughout my career, I have consistently exhibited high levels of motivation and a strong desire to excel. The skills and experiences I have gained in both teaching and administration are invaluable and undoubtedly transferable as I pursue the next step in my career.

Dr. Nurul Japar is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia. She earned her Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence (Computer Vision) in 2022 and her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) in 2018, both from Universiti Malaya. Her expertise lies in computer vision and machine learning, particularly in object detection, visual recognition, and vision-language models. She also serves as the Head of the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Training and Competency Division at the Centre for Integral Learning (CITRA), Universiti Malaya, where she leads initiatives to enhance academic excellence and professional competency. Dr. Nurul is a member of IEEE Young Professionals, IEEE Women in Engineering, IEEE Signal Processing Society, and an IEEE CertifAIEd Authorized Assessor. Her work advances responsible and impactful AI practices and global collaboration.