Senior Research Fellow
+603-7967 4679 ksnathan@um.edu.my
K.S. Nathan was born and educated in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He holds a B.A. Hons (2nd Upper) in History & International Relations from the University of Malaya (1971), Ph.D. in International Relations from Claremont Graduate University in California, USA (1975) ; LL.B Hons (2nd Upper (1992) and LL.M. (1996) from the University of London. He earned his Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) from the Legal Profession Qualifying Board, Malaysia in 1996. He is an Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, having been Called to the Malaysian Bar in July 2015. He is also a college-trained teacher (Malaysian Teachers College-Regional Training Centre, Kuala Lumpur), having obtained a Certificate in Education (Cert.Ed.) in 1966.
Professor Nathan is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Asia-Europe Institute (AEI) in the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. Previously he wase Professor of International Relations in the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, University of Malaya from 1994-2001. From 1st April 2001 until 31st March 2007 he served as a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) in Singapore. He was also the Editor of the ISEAS journal, Contemporary Southeast Asia from January 2003 until April 2007. He served as Director of the Institute of Malaysian & International Studies (IKMAS) in the national University of Malaysia (UKM) from 1st January 2011 until 1st April 2013, and from 2014-2023, he was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA), in UKM. In terms of professional engagements, Prof. Nathan served as the first President of the Malaysian Association for American Studies (MAAS), and Malaysian International Affairs Forum (MIAF), both of which were founded in 1983. He was a Visiting Scholar at several leading academic and research institutes including: Harvard University (1980-81), the USSR Academy of Sciences (1984), University of California, Berkeley (1986-87); and Strategic & Defence Studies Centre (SDSC) of the Australian National University (ANU), Canberra (1996). He is also the current President of the Malaysian Association for American Studies (MAAS), and has served on the Editorial Board of the Australian Journal of International Affairs.
Professor Nathan has several publications including thirteen books (two as author, and eleven as editor), including: Detente and Soviet Policy in Southeast Asia (1984); Trilateralism in Asia: US-Japan-ASEAN Relations (1986); American Studies in Malaysia: Current State and Future Direction (1986); North America & the Asia-Pacific in the 21st Century: Challenges & Prospects for Cooperative Security and Prosperity (1999); India and ASEAN: The Growing Partnership for the 21st Century (2000); The European Union, United States and ASEAN: Challenges and Prospects for Cooperative Engagement in the 21st Century, ASEAN Academic Press, London (2002); Islam in Southeast Asia: Political, Social and Strategic Challenges for the 21st Century (Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2005); Religious Pluralism in Democratic Societies: Challenges and Prospects for Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States in the New Millennium, (First published: 2007, 2nd Printing: July 2010); Managing Ethnic and Religious Diversity in the United States and Malaysia: Issues, Challenges & Prospects (2022); and numerous articles in local, regional, and international journals. His teaching, research, and publications are largely in the area of international relations and strategic studies. Professor Nathan has served as a Consultant/External Examiner/External Assessor to several Institutions of Higher Learning and Research in Malaysia, Singapore, and overseas.
Last Update: 02/11/2023