DR. SABRI BIN SULAIMAN

Dr Sabri Sulaiman is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Behavioural Sciences 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, all from UM. His Master’s thesis examined Social Deprivation and the Social Well-being of Malaysian Children.  His doctoral research contributed to the development of a Community-Based Social Care Model to protect the rights and improve the social well-being of street-connected children.  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 behavioural scientist, whose work integrates sociological and behavioural science perspectives to examine how social structures, institutions, governance systems, legal frameworks, and policies shape human development, social behaviour, vulnerability, health, and well-being across the life course. His research also focuses on how class, gender, disability, homelessness, poverty, ethnicity, migration and legal status,  age intersect with institutional arrangements to produce unequal life chances among children, families, persons with disabilities, workers, and ageing populations, as well as homeless individuals and street-involved and stateless children and youth. Using a global and comparative perspective across the Global North and Global South, and life-course sociology, his scholarship analyses the interaction between macro-level social forces such as welfare regimes, labour markets, migration systems, environmental change, statelessness, digitalisation, environmental change, and systems of governance, and digitalisation interect with meso- and micro-level social and behavioural processes, including family relations, caregiving practices, risk behaviour, and everyday decision-making. A core concern of his research is how intersecting inequalities related to class, gender, age, disability, ethnicity, migration status, and legal exclusion produce unequal life chances, exposure to violence, labour precarity, and gaps in protection, healthcare, and social care. In the sociology of children and families, population health and human development, his work encompasses labour, violence, security, and governance, as well as law and human rights. It emphasises rights-based and inclusive protection systems, addressing adverse childhood experiences, intergenerational inequality, gendered care work, labour exploitation, digital exclusion, and institutional violence across the life course. Methodologically, Dr Sabri employ mixed quantitative and qualitative approaches, including applied statistical modelling, surveys, quasi-experimental designs, ethnography, and participatory methods, to develop social and behavioural indicators, evaluate programmes and policies, and design evidence-based interventions. Through this applied and comparative approach, my research aims to strengthen social protection systems and improve behavioural, health, and well-being outcomes among vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations globally. 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: Examines childhood, family life, caregiving, ageing, and disability across the life course, with attention to adverse childhood experiences, intergenerational inequality, gendered care, and protection systems. Includes comparative analyses of care regimes and vulnerable children (e.g. homeless, street-connected, and undocumented) across the Global North and South.

• Global and Comparative Sociology: Analyses how global forces such as capitalism, migration, displacement, climate change, housing regimes, and governance shape social structures, inequalities, poverty, homelessness, and well-being across societies. Uses comparative perspectives to examine welfare systems, labour markets, family structures, and social protection across regions.

• Sociology of Population Health, Human Development, and Well-Being: Explores how inequality, family, labour, housing, digital inclusion, and policy environments shape health, mental well-being, and human development across the life course. Focuses on systemic gaps in healthcare and social care, particularly among legally and socially excluded populations.

• Sociology of Governance, Law, Human Rights, and Social Behaviour: Examines how governance systems, legal frameworks, welfare regimes, and rights-based policies shape inequality, institutional engagement, and social behaviour. Focuses on children, families, workers, persons with disabilities, ageing populations, and legally marginalised groups.

• Sociology of Violence, Vulnerability, and Protection: Focuses on interpersonal, structural, and institutional violence, including violence against children, gender-based violence, labour exploitation, and elder abuse. Emphasises rights-based protection systems, programme evaluation, and evidence-informed social interventions.

• Sociology of Work and Labour: Focuses on interpersonal, structural, and institutional violence, including violence against children, gender-based violence, labour exploitation, criminalisation of homelessness, and elder abuse. Emphasises rights-based protection systems, programme evaluation, and evidence-informed social interventions.

• Applied Sociology, Measurement, and Evidence-Based Interventions: Applies sociological theory and methods to policy and programme evaluation, indicator development, and intervention design. Focuses on improving protection systems and behavioural, health, and well-being outcomes among vulnerable populations.

• Sociology of Sustainability and Development: Examines how social structures, inequality, poverty, homelessness, and human behaviour interact with environmental limits and development goals. Focuses on social justice, quality of life, and equitable pathways to sustainable futures.

• Applied Statistical, Quantitative, and Qualitative Methods in Sociology: Develops and applies advanced quantitative and qualitative methods, including statistical modelling, surveys, quasi-experiments, ethnography, and participatory research. Used to analyse inequality, behaviour, and institutional processes, and to evaluate interventions.

• Digital Sociology: Analyses how digital technologies, data, and AI shape social relations, inequality, behaviour, and human development. Treats digital systems as embedded within everyday social, family, and institutional life.

Dr Sabri has collaborated with and consulted for ministries, government agencies, and international partners. Apart from research and teaching, he's also now a consultant for the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN).  He is currently leading several major research initiatives, including "A Study on Risk Behaviours in At-Risk Adolescents in Malaysia," "Creating Inclusive Digital Education for Students with Disabilities in Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia," and "The Relationship Between Education Inequality and Subjective Well-being of Persons with Disabilities in Higher Education." He is also the author of forthcoming books, namely the Community-Based Social Care Model in Protecting Street-Connected Children in Malaysia. He has also published a book titled "Deprivasi Sosial Kanak-kanak Malaysia", which examines the status of social deprivation and the social well-being of Malaysian children from their own perspectives, as well as intervention and policy strategies to reduce social deprivation and enhance their overall well-being. Dr Sabri’s work is internationally recognised. He is a 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 opportunities with scholars, practitioners, and institutions committed to advancing justice, equity, and social care systems that leave no one behind.