Professional & Educational Background

Siti Darwinda Mohamed Pero is a senior lecturer at the School of International Studies, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Kedah, Malaysia. Currently, she serves as the Deputy Dean (Research and Innovation) at the School of International Studies (SoIS), UUM. She was the Head of Department, International Affairs Department (2021) and Post Graduate Programme Coordinator for the International Affairs Department from 2018 until 2020. Dr Darwinda graduated from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) in 2005 with a Bachelor Degree (Hons) in International Affairs Management. She spent her first six months working life at the Quality Assurance Division, Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) as a junior official. She then returned to the Universiti Utara Malaysia to continue her postgraduate studies, where she obtained her M.Sc. (Strategic Studies) in 2008. Dr Darwinda received her PhD from the University of Melbourne, Australia. She received the University Travel Grant Award (2011) awarded by the University of Melbourne, which enabled her to travel to five different Southeast Asian countries for PhD's data collection purposes. Her thesis examined the role of political leadership as a driver in regional community-building in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU). The thesis found that a comprehensive approach incorporating political will, the capacity of individual leaders, state capacity, legitimacy and summitry yields a deeper understanding of the role of political leadership in regional bodies.

Research Interests & Expertise

Her current research, therefore, focuses on leadership, ASEAN, comparative regional integration and non-traditional security with a particular focus on cybersecurity and human security issues.

Email: darwinda@uum.edu.my 

1. 2016 - PhD International Relations, University of Melbourne, Australia
2. 2008 - Master Sarjana Sains (Pengajian Strategik), UUM, Universiti Utara Malaysia
3. 2005 - Bachelor Degree International Affairs Management, Universiti Utara Malaysia