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The Southeast Asia Program (SEAP) is the home for all scholars at Cornell conducting research on Southeast Asia.

Graduate Student

Degree Pursued: PhD

Anticipated Degree Year: 2029

Committee Chair/Advisor: Natalie Melas

Discipline: English Literature 

Primary Language: Tagalog

Professor, SUNY-Buffalo State

Vida Vanchan is a professor at SUNY-Buffalo State. She holds a doctorate in international economic and business geographies and a master’s degree in international trade from University at Buffalo.

Graduate Student, Jesse F. and Dora H. Bluestone Peace Studies Fellowship recipient

Nicole T. Venker is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment. Her research examines livelihoods, labor, and land relations along transnational routes of migration from Myanmar (Burma) to the United States.

Graduate Student

Darren Wan is a PhD student in the History Department. His research focuses on the ways South Chinese and South Indian migrant workers articulated claims to citizenship in the early postcolonial states of Burma and Malaya.

Degree Pursued: PhD

Graduate Student

Degree Pursued: PhD

Anticipated Degree Year: 2026

Committee Chair/Advisor: Mara Du

Discipline: History

Primary Language: Chinese, Vietnamese

Graduate Student

Degree Pursued: MPA

Anticipated Degree Year: 2025

Primary Language: Indonesian, Chinese

Research Countries: Indonesia

Independent Scholar

Kota Watanabe is a diplomat-turned-political scientist studying contested state building and civil war in contemporary Myanmar, currently based in New York City. He earned his PhD in Development Studies from SOAS University of London in February 2025.

Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Indonesia is a major focus of Andrew Weintraub's research, particularly the musical, narrative, and theatrical practices of Sundanese people in West Java.

Professor, SUNY-Albany

Meredith Weiss's research is in the field of comparative politics, focusing on Southeast Asia, especially Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Professor, Anthropology

Marina Welker is a professor in the Department of Anthropology. Her research centers on the ethical relationship between business and society.