British Academy POL:EMERGE
Funded by The British Academy, POL:EMERGE is an innovative global collaboration between the UK, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. “POL-EMERGE” is the short version of the title ‘Policymaking under Rapid Emergence: Theory, Evidence, and Research Utilisation in Southeast Asian Higher Education’.

The research project examines how higher education policy-making practices use evidence and research specifically in relation to the rapid emergence of transformative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence. As an innovative project, it combines documentary and doctrinal analysis, interviews, and Legislative Theatre as an interdisciplinary methodology to explore practices across ASEAN networks.
It is a collaboration between:
- Liverpool John Moores University (Liverpool Business School and School of Law and Justice Studies), UK
- LEAM – Life Education Academy Malaysia, Malaysia
- The University of the Philippines Cebu, Philippines
- Prince of Songkla University, Thailand
- Lac Hong University, Vietnam

POL:EMERGE Project Advisory Panel
Our Project Advisory Panel will include senior professionals such as:
- Dr Cung Trong Cuong, Director of Hue Institute for Development Studies (People’s Committee of Thua Thien Hue Province)
- Prof Tan Kay Chuan, National University of Singapore, Director (Asia Programmes), University and Global Relations / NUS, Chief Quality Officer to the ASEAN University Network
- Mr Johnson Ong Chee Bin, Founder and Principal Consultant, Education Quality International, ASEAN University Network Expert, National University of Singapore
- Mr Pham Ngoc Lan, Head of the Membership Affairs Committee of the Association of Vietnamese Universities and Colleges (AVUC)
- Associate Prof Thapanee Thammetar, Director of Thailand Cyber University, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation (MHESI), Thailand
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Tony Cealy is a Performance Maker, Community Artist, Cultural Producer and Facilitator. He is Founder, Director and Producer of 492 Korna Klub, Artistic Agitator Fellow at Brixton House, Co-Founder and Curator, Facilitator and Trainer at the Core Learning Group, Founder of Black Mens Consortium, Facilitator and Trainer at Ubele, Reference Group Member, Facilitator at The London Health Inequalities and Community Development Network Team for GLA, and Lead Creative Trainer forTutu Foundation UK.
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Dr. Nadarajan Thambu is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Human Sciences, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) in Malaysia. He specializes in Moral Education, with a focus on pedagogy, curriculum development, and innovative teaching strategies.
Ethical approval details
Project title
“POL-EMERGE” Policymaking under Rapid Emergence: Theory, Evidence, and Research Utilisation in Southeast Asian Higher Education
Research Ethics Committee Reference Number
25/LBS/025
Principal Investigator
Professor Tony Wall
LJMU email address
LJMU School and Faculty
Liverpool Business School, Faculty of Society and Culture
LJMU Central telephone number
Co-investigator details
- Malaysia: Dr Toh Chai Wei, tohchaiwei@yahoo.com
- Philippines: Professor Aurelio Vilbar, apvilbar1@up.edu.ph
- Thailand: Dr Sirilak Bangchokdee, sirilak.ba@psu.ac.th
- Vietnam: Associate Professor NT Lam, lamnt@lhu.edu.vn
