Associate Professor Josh Stenberg holds a PhD from Nanjing University and is affiliated with the University of Sydney's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. His research focuses on Chinese theatre, Sinophone literature, and Sino-Indonesian cultural dynamics. He has held prestigious fellowships including Fulbright Taiwan and SSHRC Postdoctoral support. Education: B.A. Harvard, M.A. UBC, PhD Nanjing University Affiliations: China Studies Centre, Sydney Southeast Asia Centre Research spans contemporary xiqu, Sino-Indonesian performance, and global reception of Chinese theatre. Recent projects explore Sinophone cinema in West Kalimantan and PRC soft power strategies. Over 50 peer-reviewed publications include monographs like Minority Stages and Liyuanxi . Current supervisions cover topics like Chinese Lion Dance in Chile and trauma narratives in Wang Xiaobo's fiction. Awards include the Henry Luce Poetry Translation Fellowship and Australian Academy of Humanities grants. Labs/Teams: Part of multi-institutional projects on Southeast Asian Chinese ethnicity and Chinese-Arabic literary translation.
Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh is a Research Professor at Deakin University’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Education, and is affiliated with the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation. He serves as Director of the Middle East Studies Forum and Deputy Director (International) at the Institute. His work spans Middle East and Central Asian politics, political Islam, Muslims in the West, and digital authoritarianism. Education: Not explicitly mentioned in the provided texts. His research interests focus on Middle East and Central Asian politics , political Islam and extremism , Islam in the West , sectarianism , proxy wars , and digital authoritarianism . He has conducted extensive research on democracy, citizenship, and Muslim integration in Australia, contributing to both academic and public discourse. His recent publications reveal a strong trend in analyzing digital authoritarianism , state-sponsored disinformation , and political engagement in authoritarian regimes , particularly in Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, and China. His work also explores Iranian foreign policy , elections under authoritarianism , and diasporic activism , especially by women. Scientific Awards and Recognition: ARC Future Fellowship (2013–2016) Named Australia's leading researcher in Middle East and Islamic Studies (The Australian Special Report 2020) Supervision and Grants: Professor Akbarzadeh actively supervises PhD and Master’s students on topics including Iranian politics, Kurdish movements, digital authoritarianism, and Muslim citizenship. He has secured major research grants from the Australian Research Council (ARC), Gerda Henkel Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and Qatar National Research Fund. Notable projects include research on women’s NGOs in Iran, proxy wars, digital technology and democracy, and leadership for multi-faith women. Labs and Research Centers: He is a key figure in the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation and founded the Islamic Studies Series at Melbourne University Press. He is also the founding President of the Australian Association of Islamic and Muslim Studies (AAIMS, 2016–2019) and serves on the editorial boards of leading journals such as Global Change, Peace & Security , Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs , and Journal of Asian Security & International Affairs .
Professor Hans Pols is a historian specializing in the history of medicine, psychiatry, and mental health in colonial and postcolonial contexts. He holds a position at the University of Sydney's Faculty of Science and is affiliated with the Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies and the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre. His academic credentials include degrees from Groningen University (Drs), York University (MA), and the University of Pennsylvania (PhD). His research focuses on the intersection of medicine, colonialism, and mental health in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. Key projects include an ARC-funded study on Australia's community mental health history and investigations into Dutch East Indies medical systems. He has authored influential works such as Nurturing Indonesia: Medicine and Decolonisation and edited volumes on traumatic pasts in Asia and mental health in Indonesia. Prof. Pols has received prestigious fellowships including FAHA, FASSA, and FRSN. His publications span books, edited collections, and over 50 journal articles addressing topics like colonial race theories, mental health activism, and decolonization of medical knowledge systems. He actively collaborates across disciplines and regions, contributing to global health initiatives such as the Regional Mental Health Care Atlas project in Indonesia. Education: Drs (History), University of Groningen MA (History), York University PhD (History of Science), University of Pennsylvania Grants: Australia-Indonesia Institute: Mental Health through Social Media during Pandemic ARC Linkage: Socio-cultural Factors in Therapeutic Opioids Use DFAT/KONEKSI: Mental Health Care Atlas in Central Java Awards: Fellow of the Australian Historical Association (FAHA) Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (FASSA) Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales (FRSN) His work bridges historical scholarship with contemporary health policy, emphasizing the importance of understanding colonial legacies in modern healthcare systems. Current research explores transnational mental health frameworks and the co-production of historical knowledge with affected communities.
CY Hoon is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the School of Social Sciences, Asian Studies Department at The University of Western Australia. Their work focuses on sociocultural dynamics in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and Brunei, with emphases on language policy, religious identity, aging populations, and Chinese diaspora studies. Current research contributes to UN SDGs related to social inclusion and sustainable communities. Key research interests include the intersection of soft power strategies with economic development, the negotiation of religious and sexual identities in multicultural societies, and the impact of secularization processes on urban religious landscapes. Hoon's work has been published in high-impact journals like Asian Survey and Asian Ethnicity , demonstrating multidisciplinary engagement across sociology, political science, and anthropology. They participated in a major ARC-funded research project (2008-2017) titled 'Education for a tolerant and multicultural Indonesia,' which addressed cultural integration challenges through educational frameworks. This project garnered significant scholarly attention with 64 Mendeley readers and Wikipedia references.
