Global Careers Through Asia Conference

* This conference is for STUDENTS AND ALUMNI ONLY and is open to all U of T undergraduate and graduate students as well as alumni.*

Organized by the Contemporary Asian Studies Student Union (CASSU) and Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, the conference brings together students, faculty, alumni and industry professionals to share personal career journeys and industry trends. This year's online conference offers speakers the opportunity to reflect on how the pandemic and other large-scale global forces have impacted their field of work.

Upon registering for the Global Careers through Asia Conference you will receive the webinar link for Day 1 and/or Day 2 three days before the conference start date. If you sign up to attend both days of the conference, you will receive both links.

Day 1 | January 28, 2021 | 10:00 am - 11:30 am

The first day of the conference features opening remarks from the Contemporary Asian Studies Student Union and Professor Rachel Silvey (Richard Charles Lee Director of the Asian Institute). The Public Sector and Academia industry panel includes presentations and an interactive Q&A session featuring:

• Hanae Hanzawa - Human Rights Officer, United Nations Human Rights (OHCHR)
• Evan Wiseman - Climate Policy Manager, The Atmospheric Fund (TAF)
• Dr. Yao (Adam) Liu - Assistant Professor at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore
• Dr. Joseph McQuade – Richard Charles Lee Postdoctoral Fellow, Asian Institute, University of Toronto

Day 2 | January 29, 2021 | 10:00 am - 11:40 am

The second day of the conference features opening remarks by Professor Francis Cody (Director, Dr. David Chu Program in Contemporary Asian Studies) and a Business, Arts & Media industry panel with presentations and an interactive Q&A session featuring:

• Anastasia Belashov - International Travel Trade Manager , Niagara Falls Tourism
• Jay Qin - Principal at Sard Verbinnen & Co
• Atif Khan - Program Manager, Coordinator at Reel Asian International Film Festival

View the full program here.

BIOGRAPHIES:

HANAE HANZAWA is a Human Rights Officer at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Hanae graduated with an MA in Women and Gender Studies and Collaborative Program in Asia-Pacific Studies from the University of Toronto and is currently working at the Regional Office for South-East Asia of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Bangkok, Thailand. Hanae's previous experiences include working at various NPOs, the Asia-Europe Foundation, and UNICEF in Canada, Singapore, and Cambodia in the areas of human rights mainstreaming, child protection, torture prevention, HIV/AIDS, and mental health and addiction.

EVAN WISEMAN is a Climate Policy Manager of The Atmospheric Fund (TAF). Evan leads TAF’s policy and advocacy work. He has worked for elected officials provincially and federally, and for a government relations firm in Ottawa. Outside of the world of politics, Evan has worked for the Ontario Centres of Excellence supporting its innovation agenda, and as a researcher at the University of Toronto. Evan holds a Master’s degree in History with the Collaborative Program in Asia-Pacific Studies from the Asian Institute, as well as an Honours Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from the University of Toronto.

DR. ADAM LIU is an Assistant Professor at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. Adam Liu is a political scientist trained at Stanford University, though he doesn't believe in disciplinary and methodological boundaries. Three broad questions intrigue him at the moment: The political foundations of markets in autocracies; the economic effects of political tensions between nations; and the spatial organization of coercive institutions in autocracies. His dissertation, "Building Markets within Authoritarian Institutions: The Political Economy of Banking Development in China," won the 2020 BRICS Economic Research Award.

DR. JOSEPH MCQUADE is the Richard Charles Lee Postdoctoral Fellow in the Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and a former SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for South Asian Studies. He is also Editor-in-Chief at the NATO Association of Canada and Digital Content Manager for the Munk School’s Belt and Road in Global Perspective research initiative. Dr. McQuade is affiliated with the Queen’s University Global History Initiative and with the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society, and is a Managing Editor of the Journal of Indian Ocean World Studies.

JAY QIN is a Principal at Sard Verbinnen & Co. Prior to joining Sard Verbinnen & Co, Jay was a transactional lawyer with two leading UK international law firms. In his near-decade of legal experience, Jay has advised a variety of clients, including those in the technology, venture capital, private equity, retail, and manufacturing sectors. Jay graduated with honours from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor’s in Economics, and a Master’s in East Asian Studies with the Collaborative Program Asia-Pacific Studies at the Munk School's Asian Institute. He also holds a Juris Doctor and Postgraduate Certificate in Laws from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

ANASTASIA BELASHOV is an International Travel Trade Manager at Niagara Falls Tourism. Anastasia’s academic training includes a bachelor’s degree in Asia Pacific Studies, Tel Aviv University (Israel), a Master’s degree in Asia Pacific Studies; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy; two years of Research Study at the Faculty of Letters, Hokkaido University; and a Certificate in Tourism and Environment at Brock University. Anastasia’s work at Niagara Falls Tourism involves promotion and marketing of Niagara’s attractions, hotels, restaurants, venues, and other assets to international inbound markets through travel trade channels.

ATIF KHAN is a Graduate Student at the University of Toronto, an Interdisciplinary Artist and a Program Manager at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. Atif Khan is a researcher, writer, and artist exploring text, image, and curatorial practice. His research-driven practice intersects key themes of war, surveillance, human death, and visual studies. Broadly, he thinks through how the word "violence" is assembled and given power in the material world by connecting objects, language, words, meaning, and a specific set of archives. Khan's current research investigates militarized drone system operations across the United States, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. He is completing an MA in Human Geography and South Asian Studies at the University of Toronto.