DR. SABRI BIN SULAIMAN

Dr Sabri Sulaiman is a Senior Lecturer of Applied Sociology and Evidence-Based Intervention at the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya (UM), Malaysia. Trained entirely at the University of Malaya (UM), where he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Social Administration and Justice (with a minor in Anthropology and Sociology), a Master’s in Social Intervention, and a PhD in Social Services. His Master’s thesis examined Social Deprivation and the Social Well-being of Malaysian Children. His doctoral research on street-connected children contributed to the development of a Community-Based Social Care Model grounded in social rights, collective responsibility, and locally embedded systems of care. This work aligns with international debates on contextual safeguarding, prevention-oriented interventions, and socio-ecological approaches to child protection. His applied research and advisory roles extend to civil society and international organisations, reflecting his commitment to linking research with advocacy and policy reform. He has established an internationally recognised research profile, grounded in comparative, applied, and globally engaged sociology, spanning the Global South and the Global North. 

As a sociologist and scholar of evidence-based intervention, Dr Sabri Sulaiman examines how structural inequality, social deprivation, social vulnerability, and socio-economic and political forces shape health, mental health, well-being, family dynamics, and social and human rights among marginalised populations across the Global North and South. His research translates sociological insights into the design, implementation, and evaluation of rights-based, evidence-informed interventions aimed at improving living conditions, behavioural health, social well-being, protection, welfare, and care systems, while promoting social well-being, reducing inequalities, and enhancing protective environments for children, youth, older adults, and persons with disabilities. He emphasises early prevention and family- and community-based interventions to disrupt cycles of disadvantage, violence, and exclusion. Central to his work is the political economy of care, exploring how social hierarchies such as income, class, education, gender, ethnicity, and geography and institutions like welfare regimes, healthcare, education, and legal systems shape inclusion, exclusion, and unequal access to resources. Adopting a life-course perspective, he investigates how inequalities accumulate across education, labour markets, family transitions, and ageing. His research places particular emphasis on children and youth at risk, including unaccompanied or stateless migrants, and those affected by poverty, homelessness, disability, child labour, trafficking, and justice system involvement. By integrating sociological analysis with applied social work and policy research, Dr Sulaiman contributes to scalable interventions and care systems that reduce inequality, strengthen social protection, safeguard child rights, and promote health, well-being, and social mobility for marginalised groups. Dr Sabri is actively engaged in national and international research, consultancy, and postgraduate supervision across these domains:

• Sociology of Children, Families, Ageing, and the Life Course: Family change, child welfare and protection systems, labour and family, social rights, early-life adversity, intergenerational inequality, disability, violence, and social exclusion, and their effects on education, social deprivation and well-being,  health, and long-term life chances.
• Sociology of Population Health, Human Development, and Well-Being: Social and structural determinants of health and well-being, including inequality, labour markets, housing, and public policy, with attention to global systems of colonialism, capitalism, and racism.
• Clinical Sociology and Evidence-Based Intervention: Diagnosis of social problems and the design and evaluation of evidence-based interventions addressing inequality, violence, deprivation, social exclusion, and health disparities.
• Global and Comparative Sociology of Development and Sustainability: Comparative analysis of capitalism, migration, displacement, climate change, and social protection regimes shaping inequality and life-course outcomes across the Global South and North.
• Sociology of Governance, Law, and Human Rights: Legal frameworks, governance arrangements, and social policies influencing access to services, institutional engagement, and social rights among marginalised populations.
• Sociology of Violence, Vulnerability, and Protection: Interpersonal, structural, and institutional violence, including child maltreatment, gender-based violence, labour exploitation, and elder abuse, using rights-based and evidence-informed approaches.
• Sociology of Labour and Work: Labour markets, work life and work-life policy program, work and family, institutional practices, and inequality in relation to vulnerability, exploitation, criminalisation, and social protection.
• Applied Statistics and Mixed-Methods Research: Advanced quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches for analysing inequality, institutional processes, and intervention effectiveness.

In addition to his academic roles in research and teaching, he currently serves as a Consultant to the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN), Malaysia. He is currently leading major research initiatives, including:

• A Study on Risk Behaviours among At-Risk Adolescents in Malaysia, examining life-course vulnerabilities, well-being, and social behaviour, violence exposure, and prevention-oriented interventions; and

• Creating Inclusive Digital Education for Students with Disabilities in Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia, focusing on accessibility, equity, and rights-based digital inclusion in tertiary education.

Dr Sabri is also the author of a forthcoming book, Community-Based Social Care Models for Protecting the Rights and Well-being of Street-Connected Children in Malaysia, which advances evidence-informed and rights-based approaches to child protection and social care practice. He has previously published "Deprivasi Sosial Kanak-kanak Malaysia," a pioneering work that examines social deprivation and child well-being from the children’s own perspectives, alongside policy and intervention strategies to reduce inequality and enhance social well-being. His work is internationally recognised, and he is an active member of the British Sociology Association, the Association of Southeast Asian Studies in the United Kingdom (ASEASUK), the Social Policy Association, the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN), the Malaysian Association of Social Workers (MASW), and the International Sociological Association (ISA). He has published widely in peer-reviewed journals, contributed to edited volumes, and presented at numerous international conferences. Dr Sabri welcomes collaborative research, policy, and practice-based partnerships with scholars, practitioners, and institutions committed to advancing justice, equity, and inclusive social care systems that leave no one behind.