By Office of International and Public Affairs
On July 16, 2025, the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and the Regional Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific (RECOFTC) formalised a new phase of their collaboration by signing a Scholarship Agreement for the Explore Program Women’s PhD Research Scholarship. This initiative reflects a shared commitment to advancing forest landscape governance and empowering women researchers across Southeast Asia.
Launched in March 2024, the RECOFTC Explore Program aims to empower women researchers from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Timor-Leste to pursue doctoral studies focused on forest landscape governance in Southeast Asia. Under this initiative, Ms. Souksaveuy Keotiamchanh, a PhD student at AIT’s School of Environment, Resources and Management (SERD), has been awarded the scholarship. The scholarship is funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) through RECOFTC’s project titled “Strengthening Science-Policy Interface and Universities’ Research Capacities for Forest Landscape Governance in Southeast Asia – Explore Phase 2.” Her research is supervised by Dr. Takuji W. Tsusaka, Associate Professor in Natural Resources Management (NRM) Program of the Development and Sustainability Department at AIT’s Department of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources (FANR), SERD.
Ms. Keotiamchanh brings a wealth of experience to her doctoral journey. She is a Founder Director of Zero Waste Laos, Program Advisor for Cities Alliance and a member of the National Steering Committee of the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Program (SGP) under UNDP Laos. She received her master’s degree in Environmental Engineering and Management from AIT in 2018 and returned to pursue her PhD in Natural Resources Management in January 2025.
The signing ceremony, held at AIT, was followed by discussions on expanding academic and research collaboration between AIT and RECOFTC. The discussion emphasized joint efforts in research initiatives, student internships, research supervision, and policy engagement.
Prof. Pai-Chi Li, President of AIT, expressed the gratitude to RECOFTC and Sida “We are honored to collaborate with RECOFTC, an organization with nearly four decades of experience in empowering communities to sustainably manage forest landscapes. RECOFTC’s mission aligns closely with AIT’s priorities in climate resilience, inclusive development, and sustainable resource management.” He emphasized the strategic synergy between the two institutions and the potential to scale nature-based solutions and address biodiversity loss through RECOFTC’s regional network and multi-sectoral engagement.
Dr. David Ganz, Executive Director of RECOFTC, remarked “This agreement marks an exciting step forward in our collaboration with AIT. It not only supports the academic development of talented young women researchers but also paves the way for a larger partnership framework.” He highlighted opportunities for joint fundraising, internships, collaborative research, and policy outreach.
The RECOFTC delegation included members of the Explore Program team: Mr. Santosh Raj Pathak, Partnerships and Private Sector Engagement Officer; Dr. Hao (Hope) Zhuang, Program Manager; Mr. Utsav Maden, Communication and Knowledge Management Officer; Dr. Sophie Lewis, Senior Policy Outreach and Gender Inclusion Coordinator and Mr. Sirichai (Pop) Saengcharnchai, Program Coordinator. The AIT representatives included Prof. Avishek Datta, Head of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Department (FANR), School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD); Dr. Sumana Shrestha, Director of International Affairs, Office of International and Public Affairs (OIPA); Dr. P.V. Gopi Krishna, Coordinator, Sponsored and Contracted Project Unit; Ms. Sirima Sirimattayanan, Senior Program Officer-International Affairs, OIPA and Ms. Jittima Noyneam, Administrative Officer, Natural Resources Management (NRM), School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD).
