Skip to main content

USIP Project Team

United States Institute of Peace Thai elections project comprised Duncan McCargo and two co-ordinators:

Petra Alderman: International Co-ordinator

Petra Alderman is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Birmingham. She gained her PhD in politics at the University of Leeds, before joining the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies as a postdoctoral researcher from 2019 to 2021. Petra has published several articles on Thai elections (as Petra Desatova) and also works on the politics of nation-branding. Her work has appeared in Asian Studies Review, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Geopolitics, and Politics.

As well as her academic contributions, Petra oversaw reporting and finances for the USIP Thai elections project.

Saowanee Alexander: National Co-ordinator

Saowanee T. Alexander is assistant professor at the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Ubon Ratchathani University, Thailand. She is a sociolinguist with her doctorate from Indiana University, who has published widely on politics, identity and discourse in Northeast Thailand. Her articles have appeared in Asia Policy, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Critical Asian Studies, Journal of Sociolinguistics, Politics, and South East Asia Research.

As well as conducting her own fieldwork, Saowanee managed a large team of local research assistants for the project.