The Institute of Asian Studies (IAS) at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) organised a two-day workshop entitled “Urban Transformations in Southeast Asia” on the 4th and 5th of June 2025. The workshop brings together 13 invited speakers from outside of Brunei, and 7 speakers from Brunei, to present and discuss papers on this theme.

The 13 invited speakers include 2 keynote speakers, Professor Gavin Shatkin (Northeastern University, USA) and Professor Tim Bunnel (National University of Singapore).

The remaining 11 invited speakers include:

• Erin Collins (Dartmouth College, USA),
• Professor Erik Harms (Yale University, USA),
• Dian Irawaty (Rujak Centre for Urban Studies, Indonesia),
• Professor Abidin Kusno (York University, Canada),
• Ng Keng-Khoon (NUS College, Singapore),
• Associate Professor Rita Padawangi (Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore),
• Associate Professor Redento Recio (University of the Philippines Diliman, the Philippines),
• Napong Tao Rugkhapan (Chulalongkorn University, Thailand),
• Associate Professor Claudio Sopranzetti (Central European University, Austria),
• Courtney Wittekind (Purdue University, USA), and
• Professor Orlando Woods (Singapore Management University, Singapore).

The 7 speakers from Brunei include:

• Dk Dr. Noor Hasharina Pg Haji Hassan (Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies),
• Professor Hoon Chang-Yau (UBD),
• Izni Azrein bin Noor Azalie (UBD),
• Napak Serirak (UBD),
• Angela Tritto (UBD), and
• Gabriel Yong (UBD).

Since its establishment in 2012, the IAS has successfully organised a series of research workshops, which are part of the Institute’s flagship research activities. The Urban Transformations in Southeast Asia workshop contributes to the development of cutting-edge and interdisciplinary urban scholarship at IAS and beyond.