The ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC) is pleased to announce the four selected fellows for the inaugural ASEAN-Japan Young Experts Fellowship Program 2025–2026.
This Fellowship supports promising early-career researchers from the ASEAN Member States and Japan through small-scale research grants and a platform for cross-border and interdisciplinary exchange. Over the course of the program, the fellows will conduct research on key issues shaping the future of the ASEAN-Japan partnership, with topics ranging from economic cooperation and digital innovation to sustainability and climate action.
The AJC-hosted webinars, where fellows will share their findings, will be held until March 2026. Around the same time, the fellows will also publish policy-relevant research papers that contribute to stronger ASEAN-Japan collaboration.
We warmly congratulate the following selected fellows and look forward to their contributions in advancing a more sustainable and inclusive ASEAN-Japan future.
Meet the Fellows

Ms. Catherine Setiawan
Research Topic: AI Governance and Digital Trade: Lessons from Japan for the ASEAN Region
Catherine Setiawan holds a Master of Public Administration from Cornell University, USA, supported by a full scholarship from USAID Prestasi, and a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Pelita Harapan (UPH), Indonesia. Her current Research at the ASEAN Japan Center focuses on the intersection of AI Governance and Digital Trade Southeast Asia and Japan. Previously, Catherine worked as a Country Researcher at the Global Index for Responsible AI and as a Project Coordinator for AI and Gender initiatives at the International Telecommunication Union. Her research interests primarily revolve around digital policy, especially concerning AI, and trade agreements in Southeast Asia. Outside of her professional life, Catherine enjoys traveling, reading, and practicing yoga and meditation.

Mr. Mark Bryan Manantan
Research Topic: Strengthening Japan-ASEAN AI Cooperation: The Talent Development Blueprint
Mark Bryan Manantan is the inaugural director of cybersecurity and critical technologies at the Pacific Forum in Honolulu, Hawaii. At the Forum, he has established an extensive portfolio on technology and international affairs with key initiatives like the Cyber ASEAN capacity-building project (2022-2024); US-Japan and the US-South Korea cybersecurity and critical tech cooperation (2021 – 2024), Trilateral Security Dialogue on AI: US, Japan, and Australia (2022 – 2024), and CONVERGE: Indo-Pacific Critical Tech Forum 2024: AI and Semiconductors (2023 – 2025).
Mr. Manantan is a member of UNESCO’s AI Experts Without Borders and serves on the institutional advisory board of the Australian National University’s Philippines Institute. Currently, he is a senior advisor and head of CI-ISAC International for the Asia Pacific, and a non-resident fellow at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, National Cheng-chi University in Taiwan. Previously he was a visiting fellow at the National Institute for Defense Studies at the Japanese Ministry of Defense, Asia fellow at the Japan Foundation, and visiting research fellow at the East-West Center, Washington, D.C.
Mr. Manantan’s research has been published in the Australian Journal of International Affairs, Asian Politics and Policy, Issues and Studies, The Cyber Defense Review, and the East Asia Forum.

Mr. Hangga Prihatmaja
Research Topic: Japan’s Market Development of Carbon Trade in the Indonesian Forestry Sector
With 13 years of experience as an auditor for sustainability certification programs and as a climate change mitigation consultant, I am currently pursuing a PhD in Global Environmental Policy at Kyoto University. I am affiliated with its Division of Graduate Studies (DoGS) SPRING Kyoto University, supported by the Japan Science and Technology Agency as their fellows, and the Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Foundation as one of the scholars. Also, I am founding MIDORI Forestry, a semi startup to lead research consultation in forestry, agriculture, SDG, and climate change mitigation & adaptation discourse.

Dr. Alfan Presekal
Research Topic: Cybersecurity Readiness of Critical Infrastructure in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Alfan Presekal is an Assistant Professor at the Computer Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, Universitas Indonesia. He is also member of Indonesia Cyber Awareness and Resilient Center (id CARE UI).
He earned his Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering from Universitas Indonesia. During the bachelor, he also participated in Young Scientist Exchange Program at Tokyo Institute of Technology. He pursued his Master’s degree in Secure Software Systems at Imperial College London. He later completed his Ph.D. at Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, within the Cyber Resilient Power Grids group. His research focused on advanced persistent threat detection and correlation for cyber-physical power systems.
During his PhD, he contributed to major Horizon Europe projects, including HVDC-WISE and COCOON. In 2025, one of his papers was recognized as outstanding publication in IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid. His research interests include cyber security, operational technology, artificial intelligence, and cyber-physical systems.