Our Team

Min Zin is a founding member and the Executive Director of ISP-Myanmar. He is also a Ph.D. candidate in the Travers Department of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. Min Zin is a comparative political scientist, who studies civil-military relations, democratization, contentious politics, ethnic conflict and civil war with a focus on Myanmar and Southeast Asian countries.

Aung Thu Nyein, Director of Communication and Outreach Program. He held several leadership positions in the exiled democracy movement. In 2011, after the country's political reforms, he returned Myanmar and joined the Myanmar Development Resource Institute (MDRI) (2012 - December 2014). Presently, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in development administration at the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) in Bangkok.

Dr. John Buchanan, Director of Research Program. He holds a Ph.D. from the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. John has written several reports and articles. He recently authored Militias in Myanmar, which provides background on Myanmar’s systems of militias and their roles in conflict and society.

Dr. Su Mon Thazin Aung is the Director of Capacity Building Program. She received her Ph.D. in Politics and Governance at The University of Hong Kong. Her research focuses on Elite Politics in the Executive, Governance and Policy Studies, particularly concerned with ethnic conflicts and resources extraction in Myanmar and Southeast Asia. She has also participated in and contributed to several research-training projects in Myanmar in the capacity of independent researcher.

Nay Htun Naing is the Deputy Director of Communication and Outreach program, as well as the editor of the Myanmar Quarterly. He also acts as a head of ISP’s Peace Desk. He received a Bachelor of Economics from Dagon University, Myanmar. He joined the media sector in 2005 and worked as the Executive Editor for Weekly Eleven News Journal and Daily Eleven Newspaper and as Editor-in-charge for Eleven Broadcasting. He has published a book and has produced more than five hundred articles in Myanmar language.

Khin Khin Kyaw is the Deputy Director for Research program and also the head of ISP’s China Desk. Khin Khin Master’s Degree in International Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Prior to joining ISP, she worked as program coordinator for Institute for Political and Civic Engagement, Center administrator for International Law Development Organization (Rule of Law Centre Project) and independent researcher specializing in China-Myanmar relations.

May Ei Ei Soe is the Finance and Administration Manager of ISP. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Yangon Institute of Economic and a Diploma in Accounting from the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. She has been working with non-governmental organizations in Myanmar for more than 8 years.