Bobby Farnan
Research Associate

Profile

Biography

Robert is a Research Associate in the UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund project, “Political Capabilities for Equitable Resilience.” He is an international political sociologist working at the nexus of development studies, human geography, and science and technology studies (STS). His research explores the intersection of security, conflict and development, with particular focus on environmental governance, urban resilience, and the technopolitics of infrastructure in South/Southeast Asia. Recent publications include: “Indigenous Resistance as Irregular Warfare: the Role of Kachin Forces in SOE and OSS Covert Operations during the Burma Campaign” (Routledge, 2019); "Infrastructural Violence, Logistical Governance, and Practices of Transparency along the East-West Economic Corridor, Thailand and Myanmar" (Thailand Research Fund, 2018); and “Urban Resilience and the Neoliberal Subject of Climate Change in Thailand” (Asian Review, 2017).

Prior to joining SEI, he worked for four years as a Lecturer in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Thailand. He holds a PhD from the Department of War Studies, King’s College London, and is a long-suffering Vancouver Canucks fan.