Dr. James Gomez is a political scientist and a well-published researcher having served in leadership roles at international organisations and universities. He is based in Thailand and is presently the Regional Director of Asia Centre, where oversees the operations of the Centre in Thailand and Malaysia and leads collaboration efforts with international partners. 

Dr. Gomez holds a PhD from Monash University in Australia, an MA from University of Essex, United Kingdom and a B.Soc.Sci (Hons) from National University of Singapore. 

As a senior academic and university administrator at public and private universities, research institutes and think-tanks, he has worked and held appointments at Monash University (Australia), United International College (China), Tallinn University (Estonia), Keio University (Japan), Universiti Utara Malaysia, Thammasat University and Bangkok University (Thailand). 

Dr. Gomez has also worked at inter-governmental organisations such as International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (Sweden) and international NGOs such as Friedrich Naumann Foundation (Germany) and Amnesty International (United Kingdom), where he worked with and managed global and regional teams on projects related to democracy and human rights. 

Active in public life in Singapore for over 20 years, Dr Gomez came into prominence through his writings and use of the internet. In 1999, he published his first book ‘Self-censorship: Singapore’s Shame’ and founded the city’s first and oldest political association Think Centre. Dr. Gomez described this journey in his second book ‘Internet Politics: Surveillance and Intimidation in Singapore’ published in 2002. He contested in Singapore’s parliamentary elections in 2006 and was the most-searched name during the elections.

Work took him abroad in the years in between and he would later return to set up Singaporeans for Democracy in 2010. In 2011, Dr. Gomez contested the parliamentary elections. In a globally reported event, Dr. Gomez nominated Chia Thye Poh, Singapore’s longest serving political detainee, for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012. 

Dr. Gomez’s innovative use of the internet for political expression and mobilisation for elections during those years were the subject of study by academics and researchers. These published works continue to be referred to in research and university courses related to the internet, media and politics in Singapore. 

In 2015, he established the Asia Centre in Bangkok, Thailand and in 2018, registered a branch in Johor, Malaysia. The Centre undertakes evidence-based research to develop knowledge toolkits, organises capacity building activities for stakeholders and undertakes advocacy via media and social media engagement. These knowledge tools on key human rights challenges are developed at the request of civil society, INGOs, government and intergovernmental agencies and parliamentarian networks for policy advocacy.  

Over the last twenty years, Dr. Gomez has also won several awards and fellowships. In 2001, he was ranked as one of Asia’s 50 most powerful communicators by the Asia Week magazine, “An Asian Trailblazer” by Newsweek and an “Asian Making a Difference” by FEER for his work on and off the internet. In 2009, he was appointed as the Democracy and Human Rights Fellow at the Taiwan Democracy Foundation in Taipei. In 2018, he was appointed as the Korean Democracy Fellow by the Korea Foundation. In 2020, he was awarded the Taiwan Fellowship by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan, for his extensive work on Freedom of Expression.

A well known media commentator, Dr. Gomez has appeared on Al Jazeera, ABC News, CTGN, Voice of America and many other news outlets. He is often invited to pen opinion pieces and these have appeared in the Bangkok Post, The Guardian, Irrawaddy, Jakarta Post, Mizzima News, Nikkei Asia and the Rappler. He is also regularly interviewed for his insights on political developments in Southeast Asia. He has also written and edited books, journal articles and reports on the topics of democracy, civil society, human rights issues and the role of technology in politics in Singapore and the broader Southeast Asian region. 

Following the elections in 2020, where he had to record and deliver messages over video for the first-ever ‘Internet elections’, in 2021 Dr. Gomez decided to establish a consolidated online presence. He pulled his different social media handles into a website and started his own podcast show, ‘James Gomez Podcast’, where he discusses and engages with the public on important current affairs. 

He would like to hear from you! Send him an email at contact@jamesgomez.sg or connect with him via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Clubhouse, Spotify, Twitter or YouTube