Shakthi De Silva is a PhD candidate in the Department of International Relations at the ANU Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs. His research is supported by two International Research Training Program Scholarships. He holds a Master of International Affairs from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, funded by the Li Ka Shing Foundation, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations with minors in Economics and Sociology from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, funded by a government scholarship. He has authored several double-blind peer-reviewed journal articles and published book chapters on geopolitics in Asia, as well as political and foreign policy themes related to Sri Lanka. Mr. De Silva previously lectured at the Department of International Relations at the University of Colombo and at several tertiary-level institutions, including the National Defence College (Sri Lanka) and the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute (BIDTI).