Elvin Ong

Dr. Elvin Ong is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS), affiliated with the Department of Political Science. He holds the Social Science and Humanities Research Fellowship (SSHRF) from the Singapore Social Science Research Council. Previously, he was a Fulbright Visiting Fellow at Yale University’s Council on Southeast Asia Studies (2023) and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of British Columbia’s Centre for Southeast Asian Research (2018–2020). His education includes a PhD in Political Science from Emory University, an MPhil in Politics (Comparative Government) from the University of Oxford’s St. Antony’s College, and a Double Degree in Business Management and Social Science from Singapore Management University.

• Education:
• PhD in Political Science, Emory University
• MPhil in Politics (Comparative Government), University of Oxford
• Double Degree in Business Management (BBM) and Social Science (BSocSc), Singapore Management University

Dr. Ong’s research focuses on democratization in East and Southeast Asia, particularly the role of opposition parties in electoral autocracies. His work examines regime vulnerability, opposition alliances, and resistance to autocratization. His book Opposing Power: Building Opposition Alliances in Electoral Autocracies (University of Michigan Press, 2022) analyzes cases like the Philippines, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore. Recent articles address performative governance in Singapore, civil society dynamics, and online repression in Southeast Asia.

His research has been funded by the Fulbright Program, Singapore Social Science Research Council, and NUS grants. Awards include the Dan David Prize 2019 Scholar for “Defending Democracy” and the 2018 Young Southeast Asia Fellow by SEAREG. He has also received the John A. Lent Prize for Best Conference Paper and the Ronald Provencher Award for Best Graduate Student Paper Proposal.

• Professional Activities:
• Co-convenor of the International Political Science Association’s Summer Methods School
• Chair of the Association for Asian Studies’ Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei Studies Group

Teaching interests include Political Inquiry, Malaysian Politics, and seminar courses on state and society. His work bridges comparative politics, authoritarianism, and Southeast Asian studies, contributing to debates on democratization and opposition strategies in constrained political environments.