Vivienne Zhang is a Junior Research Scholar under the Digital Asia pillar at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. She holds a master’s degree in International Security from Sciences Po Paris and a Bachelor of Arts in Modern European Studies from the University of British Columbia.
Saima Islam is pursuing a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of British Columbia. She received a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree from Monash University where she double-majored in International Relations and Communications with a minor in Gender Studies. Her research interests include environmental governance, international organizations, and labour issues. Outside of research, she enjoys painting, literature, gardening, and exploring different cuisines.
Hannah Balba was born in the Philippines and immigrated to Canada in 2001. She graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in History in 2021, and now works as a Settlement Worker for Filipino families at Collingwood Neighbourhood House. During her undergraduate years, her research interests included: the effects of transnational migration on Filipino-Canadian youth, precarious migrancy, and the historical trajectories of Canadian foreign domestic worker movements.
Emi Kingan is a graduate student in Geography at the University of British Columbia. She received a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree from Quest University in 2021, after which she worked with a local municipality in British Columbia developing strategies focused on the green economy. Emi enjoys researching and writing about policy processes, urban development, and transnational migrant networks.
Kelly Grounds is in her final year at Simon Fraser University, completing a Bachelor's of Arts with Honours in Political Science and International Studies. Previously, she completed courses with the NATO Defense College and Transparency International. Kelly is also a research assistant on projects looking at state-sponsored disinformation and the role of international intuitions and will be joining the Canadian Federal Government as a Junior Policy Analysis once she completes her degree. In her spare time, she is working on a project that analyses the state of Canada’s foreign and defence policy, with a focus on international interference, cyber policies, and Arctic security.
Madelyn Koff is a recent graduate of the Honours Political Science program at McGill University, with specializations in gender studies and religious studies.
David Deen is pursuing a master’s degree in Public Policy and Global Affairs from the University of British Columbia. He specializes in Asia Pacific trade, and energy and sustainability policies. David comes from a career in broadcast journalism with Al Jazeera English and is also has a Master of Journalism from Carleton University. He was born and raised in Toronto to parents from Cebu and Capiz in the Philippines’ Visayas region.
Stewart Beck is the former president and CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, and a Canadian career diplomat who served abroad in China, India, Taiwan and the United States. He currently serves as a Distinguished Fellow.
John Knubley is a Senior Advisor with McKinsey & Company and Longview Communications, and a Corporate Director, Strategic Advisor, and Former Deputy Minister, Innovation, Sciences and Economic Development Canada. John is a Director on the Board of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.
Cesar Ramirez is a Sociology and International Development Studies graduate from McGill University who will be pursuing a Master’s degree in Sociology in the fall of 2022. He is interested in researching and understanding the dynamics of social change, policy formation, and social theory.
