The Indo-Pacific Policy Lab (IPPL) is a pilot project run during the 2023–2024 academic year and 2025 summer semester to provide opportunities for students to engage in interdisciplinary, policy-relevant research and to build professional experience with the Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs. Faculty and graduate students collaborate with undergraduate students as they develop research skills and apply them to policy challenges. Students are supported by funding from the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
Summer 2025 Research Project
The Indo-Pacific Policy Lab’s research project for Summer 2025 investigated how the Quad, a diplomatic alliance between the United States, Japan, India, and Australia, incorporates women’s and gender perspectives into its diplomacy, policy priorities, and regional initiatives. Although the Quad highlights gender inclusion as central to its mission, this commitment has not yet been comprehensively analyzed.
This study focused on three key areas:
- Institutional structures and representation: The presence of women and gender in both formal and informal aspects of the Quad.
- Policy priorities and planning: The role of gender perspectives in shaping decision-making and program design.
- Program deliverables: How gender considerations are reflected in projects targeting Southeast Asia and Oceania.
The research offered insights into what gender-related efforts are working, what challenges remain, and provide evidence-based recommendations for future programming.
Summer 2025 Indo-Pacific Policy Lab Members:
Natasha Quinn is a rising senior at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa majoring in Political Science. Originally from Lake Forest, California, she is working towards the undergraduate Law & Society certificate and Peace Corps Prep certificates through the Matsunaga Institute for Peace. Her past research through UROP explored the role of algorithmic decision-making in perpetuating social and political divisions, with a focus on its impact on constitutional protections. She is the president of the Mānoa Pre-Law Association, is a recipient of the Margaret and Roy Eby Scholarship for her work in peace studies, and is a Disney College program alumna.
Lorianna Hermann is a rising senior pursuing a double major in Sustainability and Art Studio and certificate in Peace Studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Lorianna is passionate about furthering research in regards to how Sustainability and Peace Studies are intertwined and how it is necessary to understand both in order to promote a better future.
2023–2024 Indo-Pacific Policy Lab Members:
Kayla Anandia is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing a B.A. in Political Science and Peace and Conflict Resolution at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. Her academic interests include maritime affairs, Southeast Asian politics, and climate change. She has interned at the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs, the Executive Office of the President of Indonesia, and the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies. Her work with CIPA is supported by Project Funding from the UH Mānoa Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
- Watch Kayla talk about her experience
- Read Kayla’s independent research: Remapping Governance in the South China Sea: China’s New “10-Dash Line” and Responses from ASEAN States
Joshua Bumanglag is a second-year undergraduate student pursuing a B.A. in Economics at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He is passionate about economics and the insights it offers into numerous facets of society and decision-making. His work with CIPA is supported by Entering Research and Creative Work funding from the UH Mānoa Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
Will Duvall is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a B.A. in Political Science and Asian Studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. His interests include East and Southeast Asian politics, specifically territorial disputes, security alliances, and conflict resolution. He has also been selected as a participant in the 2023–2024 US Department of State Foreign Service Internship Program. His work with CIPA is supported by Entering Research and Creative Work funding from the UH Mānoa Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
- Watch Will talk about his experience
- Read Will’s independent research: Nusantara (IKN): Indonesia’s Investment For The Future
If you have questions about the Indo-Pacific Policy Lab or if you would like to make a donation to help support student research at the Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs, please contact cipa@hawaii.edu.
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