James Gomez, Ph.D., a political scientist, is the Regional Director of Asia Centre, a civil society research institute in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Education
Dr. Gomez holds a Ph.D. from Monash University in Australia, an MA from University of Essex, United Kingdom and a B.Soc.Sci (Hons) from National University of Singapore.
Work Experiences
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.
He contested in Singapore’s parliamentary elections in 2006 and was the most-searched name during the elections. Thereafter, 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. He last contested in Singapore’s parliamentary elections in 2020.
A Powerful Communicator
Dr. Gomez’s innovative use of the internet for political expression and mobilisation for elections during those years saw him receive several accolades. 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. As a result, his activities 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.
Established Asia Centre
In 2015, he established the Asia Centre – a civil society research institute – in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2018, registered a branch in Johor, Malaysia and in 2024, set up an office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 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.
Democracy Awards
Over the last twenty years, Dr. Gomez has also won several democracy awards and fellowships, the latest being in January 2025, where he was appointed Korean Democracy Foundation’s Global Democracy Goodwill Ambassador 2025–2026. Earlier in 2020, he was awarded the Taiwan Fellowship by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan, for his extensive work on Freedom of Expression. In 2018, he was appointed as the Korean Democracy Fellow by the Korea Foundation. In 2009, he was appointed as the Democracy and Human Rights Fellow at the Taiwan Democracy Foundation in Taipei.
An International Commentator
A well known international media commentator, Dr. Gomez has appeared on Al Jazeera, ABC News, CTGN, The Diplomat, 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.
Publications
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. In March 2025, Dr. Gomez guest edited the special edition of the Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia, titled “Eroding Electoral Integrity: Reasons for Democratic Backsliding in Southeast Asia”.
