DR DIANA CHEONG (Executive Director and Chief Researcher)

Dr Diana Cheong is the Executive Director and Chief Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS) and heads research and other core activities at CSPS. She specialises in Sociology, Public Policy and Economic Development. Her experience in the policy analysis field spans more than 18 years and she is a leading Policy Researcher and Consultant in Brunei.

She has conducted pioneering research work in Brunei in the areas of poverty, unemployment, youth development, work and productivity issues.

She successfully led several research projects on Brunei including a number of studies on  Brunei Futures and Strategic Foresight, Youth and Drug Abuse,  Poverty Studies, Unemployment Studies, Feasibility Study on Alternative Energy Sources,  Social Problems Among Young People , Blueprint For Vision 2035 Sustainable And Inclusive Land Transportation System , White Paper on Making Brunei Darussalam the Preferred Holiday Destination, Land Optimisation National Strategy for Industrial and Commercial Growth, Financial Literacy Survey and National Strategy and the Formulation of Brunei National Youth Policy and Strategy 2020-35. She leads in designing and facilitating Executive Development Programmes particularly within the field of Public Policy Analysis, Survey Research Methods, Strategic Planning and Strategic Foresight.

PROFESSOR ALVIN ANG (Senior Researcher)

Alvin Ang is a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS). He was Chair of the Department from 2022 to 2024 and Director of Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development (ACERD) from 2016-2021. He continues to be part of ACERD as a Senior Fellow providing economic briefings to corporate as well as government clients. He also is a favorite guest resource person on economic and policy matters on radio and television both in the Philippines and abroad.

His professional experience spans more than three decades as an economic development specialist, investment analyst, corporate planner, program officer, lecturer, and officer in government, private sector and academic research institutions. He has taught for last 34 years full time at the University of Santo Tomas and Ateneo de Manila University. He has served as adjunct faculty at the Asian Institute of Management, Development Academy of the Philippines, Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan and Chiang Mai University in Thailand. He has been regularly consulted by the Philippine Government and various international development agencies such as the World Bank, International Labour Organization, Asian Development Bank and other UN agencies on policy matters pertaining to the economy, labor and migration, competitiveness, governance reforms and public finance.

DR AZRINAH RAHMAN (Researcher)

Dr Azrinah is a Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS) and heads the Public and Social Policy Unit. Her research interest includes those on future skills and education, family and work-balance policies, intergenerational solidarity, gender disparity and women’s status in society, and early childhood development.

SHAMBHU GHATAK (Researcher)

Shambhu Ghatak is a Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS). He is involved in research on public policy and economic issues. His current research interest includes sustainable development goals (SDGs), income distribution/poverty, economic diversification and growth forecasting, skill development, and food security. Using statistical packages like Stata, SPSS and PSPP, he works on quantitative research and analysis of primary and secondary data (including time series data). Currently he is working on the existing data gaps in Brunei Darussalam relating to the SDG indicators.

DR KARTINI RAHMAN (Researcher)

Dr Kartini Rahman is a Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS).  Dr Kartini has a PhD in Gerontology from University of Southampton, UK, a Masters of Science (MSc) in Social Research from London Metropolitan University, UK, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Sociology and Politics from the University of Kent, UK.

DR HAZWAN HAINI (Researcher)

Dr Hazwan Haini is a Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS).  Dr Hazwan has a PhD in Economics from Loughborough University, UK, a Masters of Science (MSc) in Banking and Finance from Loughborough University, UK, and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Banking, Finance and Management from Loughborough University, UK. Dr Hazwan has spent several years as an academic at the University of Brunei Darussalam, and Loughborough University, with extensive experience in teaching and research. He has supervised numerous research students and taught over a range of economics modules.

YUZILAWATI ABDULLAH (Associate Researcher)

Yuzilawati Abdullah is an Associate Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS). With a background in Energy Economics and Islamic Banking & Finance, Yuzilawati began her career in the petroleum industry where she gained extensive experience having held various roles in research and analyses of upstream and downstream projects.

NUR IZZATI HAJI SHAHARI (Associate Researcher)

Izzati Shahari is an Associate Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS). Izzati has an Msc in Social Statistics (Research Methods) and a BSc in Applied Social Sciences (Criminology) from the University of Southampton, UK. Izzati’s strong academic background on research methods, particularly in survey design and quantitative analysis of social science data, is complemented by her certification in Public Policy Analysis from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

DR SUFRIZUL HUSSEINI (Associate Researcher)

Dr Sufrizul Husseini is an Associate Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS). He specializes in macroeconomic analysis and forecasting. His research interests include macroeconomic management, economic growth and international trade with a specific emphasis on China and the Asian economies. He has delivered presentations and talks at several local and international workshops, seminars and conferences. He has authored and written scholarly articles in prestigious academic publications as well as policy papers.

ANWAR NOR HASHIM (Associate Researcher)

Anwar Nor Hashim is an Associate Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS). His primary responsibility is to provide support for research projects within the fields of economics and social policy. Some recent projects that Anwar has been actively involved in include 'Brunei Economic Outlook,' 'The Brunei Barometer' (2023), and the development of strategic plans for external agencies. He also facilitates Research Methods for Policy Analysis workshop for government stakeholders.