NTS-Asia - Consortium of Non-Traditional Security Studies in Asia

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Call for Applications for NTS-Asia Research Fellowship (2010)

The Consortium of NTS-Asia through the support of the Ford Foundation invites applications for the NTS-Asia Research Fellowship. To commence in July, this three-month research fellowship programme offers successful applicants an opportunity to work on a wide range of NTS issues in Asia. Three fellowship positions are available this year and each fellowship comes with a stipend of US$8,000 (all inclusive* for the duration of the fellowship). Young scholars are encouraged to apply.

Successful candidates can choose to conduct their research at any of the 21 NTS-Asia member institutes. Member institutes are listed below:

NTS-Asia research fellows are expected to produce at least one publishable research paper – in the form of a journal article, monograph or working paper - at the end of the fellowship period. All interested applicants should submit their applications via email by Friday, 16 April 2010, with the following information:

A research proposal of about 2,000 words which should include a statement on the aims and objectives of the project, the time frame for the project, the NTS-Asia institution of choice, and reasons why it is the most suitable institution for such research, and output.
Information on his/her expertise in relation to the research that is to be carried out.
Two recommendation letters, including one from the applicant’s organisation.
A curriculum vitae and a copy of his/her highest level of education reached.

Click here to view a sample proposal outline (in MS Word format).

All interested applicants should submit proposals via email to:

Ms Cheryl Lim, Programme Officer at the NTS-Asia Secretariat and the RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies at ischeryllim@ntu.edu.sg.
Or via mail to the NTS-Asia Secretariat at the following address:

The NTS-Asia Secretariat
c/o Associate-Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony
Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)
Nanyang Technological University
Block S4, Level B4, Nanyang Avenue
Singapore 639798

The closing deadline for all applications is Friday, 16 April 2010.
*All inclusive refers to airfare, visa fees, room and board as well as any other incidentals during the duration of the fellowship.

Deepali Gaur Singh

Deepali Gaur Singh is a Bangalore-based (Karnataka, India) academic and media practitioner. She is the author of the book ‘Drugs Production and Trafficking in Afghanistan,’ published by Pentagon Press which focuses on the economy and politics of Afghanistan, in particular, the effects of the narcotics trade on the security and stability of the region as also globally. She has an M.Phil. and Ph.D. on Tajikistan and Afghanistan from the Central Asian Studies Division, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Deepali is also a filmmaker and photographer. She has been actively engaged with developmental organisations in rural Karnataka, Rajasthan, New Delhi and Orissa documenting social change and developing an archive of alternative images in different media on issues ranging from early childcare and primary education, health, environment to the informal sector workforce. She has also made a film on the situation of immigrants in Germany where she studied at the University of Hanover while on a DAAD scholarship. She has been a member of the Karl Jaspers Centre for Advanced Studies, University of Heidelberg, Germany as a scholarship holder.

As a freelancer she has researched and written extensively on Afghanistan and the new Central Asian Republics, gender from the South Asian perspective. Many of her writings have been published in Indian national dailies, the United Nations Foundation’s blog on sexual and reproductive health and the Afghanistan-based website, Kabul Press.

Dr Singh is currently engaged on research on the Afghan diaspora. Her topic as an NTS-Asia Research Fellow is Afghan Women in the Diaspora: Surviving Identity and Alienation. Her NTS-Asia institute of choice is WISCOMP.

Hamid-ur-Rehman

Mr Hamid-ur-Rehman holds a master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has under his belt over 15-year of journalistic experience with three prestigious English dailies in Pakistan. He worked as sub-editor with daily The Frontier Post, Lahore, from February 1992 to March 1994. He joined The Nation, Islamabad, as senior sub-editor in March 1994 and worked with the organization as city editor, sports editor and on the main national news desk till December 2006. Mr Rehman attended the South Asia Journalists Fellowship [April 1, 2006 to Sept 17, 2006] in Seoul, South Korea. In June 2006, he participated in one-month Korea Press Foundation Fellowship that developed his interest in North-South Korea unification and related security and other issues. During his stay in Korea, Mr Rehman also interviewed former South Korean President and Nobel Peace Prize winner for year 2000 Kim Dae-jung.

Besides contributing reports on some social issues in Korea, he also wrote a two-page article on Korea’s Security and Unification for Sunday Magazine of daily The Nation, Islamabad. He visited various places such as DMZ, Paju English Village, Samsung, Hyundai and other companies besides recreation sites—museums, parks etc---in Korea. During his six-month stay in Korea, Mr Rehman also took up Korean language classes at the Korea University. Mr Rehma's news articles on Korea can be found on the Korea Press Foundation website.

Mr Rehman's topic during his fellowship term will be Food and Human security issues North and South Korea. His NTS-Asia Institute of choice is IIRI, University of Korea.

Siti Masyitah Rahma

Siti Masyitah Rahma has been working at the Health and Welfare Department of the Central Board of Muhammadiyah since 2005. Since her days in University, Ms Rahma has been active in Muhammadiyah, which is the a largest Islamic civil society organization in Indonesia. She joined the Muhammadiyah Student Assosiation in 1999 and volunteered in its social program. She graduated from University Muhammadiyah Prof Dr Hamka on 2002. In 2007, she pursued her Masters in Development Studies at the University of New South Wales, Australia. She then went on to join the Avian Influenza Control Team of Muhammadiyah for two a half years as Program Manager, where she designed, supervised the implementation, advocacy and monitoring the program.

She has published Muhammadiyah’s Guide Book on Avian influenza Awareness for Facilitators and is interested in humanitarian, interfaith dialogue and health promotion especially at the community/grassroots level. She believes that data collection and facilitating grassroots activities are essential in understanding communities' problems and thereby improve their quality of life.

Ms Rahma's topic during her fellowship term will be The Role of NGOs in Combating Avian Influenza in Indonesia: A Muhammadiyah Case Study. Her NTS-Asia institute of choice is CSIS, Jakarta.

Manisha Sobhrajani

Manisha Sobhrajani is an active development-sector worker in Indian Kashmir. In the last 3 years, she has visited the region several times for intensive field-work, interacted with local people, journalists, security personnel, politicians and others – with an emphasis on the gender-related aspects of the Kashmiri conflict. Ms Sobhrajani was awarded a year-long Fellowship (beginning May 2007) by Jagori, a women’s resource centre based in New Delhi, India, to research and document the formation of the only all women’s Village Defence Committee (VDC) in Kulali Village, Surankote, Jammu & Kashmir, India. She presented a paper titled "Kashmir Issue and The Various Models of Resolutions" at a conference at Westminster Palace, London, organised by the Justice Foundation Kashmir Centre in November 2007. Ms Sobhrajani was also awarded a 3-month Hansard Research Scholarship (January 13 – April 7, 2007) by the Hansard Society, London, UK, to study at the London School of Economics. The scholarship included pursuing a specific area of political academic interest whilst participating in an internship placement within the world of British politics. She is also associated with several organisations such as Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP), Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation (CDR), and Institute for Conflict Management (ICM), which have thus enhanced her research skills.

Her topic of research as an NTS-Asia Research Fellow is “Analysis of Media Reportage on Gender-based Violence in Jammu and Kashmir”. Her institute of choice is WISCOMP

Xue Li

Xue Li is Assistant Professor (Research Fellow) at the Division of International Strategy, Institute of World Economics and Politics(IWEP), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). His research interests include Energy Strategy in China, Regionalism and East-Asian Integration and Constructivism and its Application. Dr Li’s recent publications include ‘An Analysis on the Hot-spots of Global Energy Politics: A Report on Global Politics and Security’ (Beijing, Social Sciences and Documents Press, December 2007); “The Role and Function of the National Oil Reserve Center” (International Herald Leader, December 18,2007); and “What does the High Oil Price Exactly Mean?” (World View, Issue 2, 2008). His topic of research as an NTS-Asia Research Fellow is Sino-ASEAN Energy Cooperation: Limitation, Potential and Prospects. His institute of choice is IWEP, CASS

John Jackson Ewing

Mr John Jackson Ewing is Teaching Fellow at Bond University, Australia. He has conducted several seminars and lectures including on topics pertaining to East-West Diplomatic Relations, Multi-track Diplomacy in Southeast Asia and Asian International Diplomacy. Prior to this appointment he was a Research Team Member for the Project on Sustainable Development in the Political Science Department, College of Charleston (2002 -2003). Mr Ewing has also received a Masters of International Relations from Bond University, during which time he was on the Deans List of Academic Excellence and received the Overall Excellence in Diplomacy award in 2006. He completed his Masters’ thesis in 2006, which was entitled “China’s Energy Policies: Analyzing Beijing’s Current and Future Fossil Fuel Procurement and Consumption Strategies”. He is currently pursuing is PhD in Bond University and working on “Resource Intervention: Environmentally-based Strategies for Conflict Resolution”. Mr Ewing’s experience in the global negotiations on climate change were greatly boosted by my participation in the 13th Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC in Bali, Indonesia during December of 2007. As a member of an accredited NGO, he had access to a majority of the state level negotiations and gained a great deal of knowledge from attending informative side events and speaking to countless experts who were in attendance. Seeing these negotiations firsthand, and making personal contacts with some of the leading minds in the field, has significantly improved his understanding of the complex international efforts to combat climate change. Mr Ewing has also contributed several chapters in edited books, such as Cullen and Murray (2007). 1st Edition. The Globalization of World Politics: Case Studies from Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific. Melbourne, Oxford University Press; and Cullen and Murray (2008). Revised Edition. The Globalization of World Politics: Case Studies from Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific. Melbourne, Oxford University Press.

Mr Ewing has chosen to work at ISDS Philippines during his fellowship term, where he will be examining the Security implications of Climate change – case study of the Philippines.

Mohammad Jalal Uddin Sikder

Mr Sikder is a Senior Research Associate at the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) at the University of Dhaka. He has been conferred a Masters of Arts in Development Studies from the University of Leeds in 2005 and Masters of Social Science from the University of Dhaka in 2002. A young scholar (29 years of age), Mr Sikder has written extensively on migrant issues in Bangladesh. Amongst his publications, he has co-authored two books :

Livelihood of Internal Migrant: Case Studies of Domestic Workers and Rickshaw Pullers of Dhaka City
(University Press Ltd, Dhaka , June 2007)
Informal Border Trade and Movement of People at the Bangladesh - India Border
(University Press Ltd, Dhaka , June 2007)

For his NTS Research, Mr Sikder will be working on the Movements of People and Threats of HIV/AIDS Virus at the Bangladesh-India Border. He has chosen RMMRU as his research institute during the 3 month fellowship.

Mr. Sikder's Monograph on Movements of People and Threats of HIV/AIDS Virus at the Bangladesh-India Border

Wang Jiang Li

Ms. Wang is currently a Phd candidate at Zhejiang University , China, and is Assistant to the Director of the Center for Non-Traditional Security and Peace Development (NTS-PD). Ms Wang received her Masters (with honours) from Zhejiang University after which she has been a Lecturer of International Relations at the College of Media and International Culture, Zhejiang University for the past 8 years. Ms Wang’s publications include several articles and co-author of books such as :

An Outline of Non-Traditional Security and Multilateral Cooperation
(2006)
International Organisation and International Relations
(Zhejiang University Press, 2004)

Ms Wang’s NTS research will deal with values and institutional arrangements in the study of NTS. She has chosen the Institute of World Economics and Politics, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences during the 3-month fellowship.

Wang Jiang Li's research paper - "Security Community" in the Context of Nontraditional Security

Rizal Sukma

Dr. Rizal Sukma is currently Deputy Executive Director at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Jakarta , Indonesia.
He is also

the Chairman of International Relations Division, Central Executive Board of Muhammadiyah (second largest Islamic organisation in Indonesia with approximately 25 million members);
member of the board at Syafii Maarif Institute for Culture and Humanity;
a visiting lecturer at Department of International Relations at Muhammadiyah University - Malang; and
a member of the National Committee on Strategic Defense Review, Indonesia’s Ministry of Defence.

He received his PhD degree in international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), United Kingdom in 1997. Dr Sukma is the author of numerous papers and reports, and has published in several journals and other internationally circulated publications. Dr Sukma has proposed to do a research paper on the Securitisation of Human Trafficking in Indonesia. He has chosen the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies as the institute during his fellowship term.

Dr Sukma's NTS Research paper - The Securitization of Trafficking in Indonesia

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