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Nicholas Farrelly

Professor and Head of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania
Nicholas Farrelly is Professor and Head of Social Sciences at the University of Tasmania.

After graduating from the ANU in 2003 with First Class Honours and the University Medal in Asian Studies, he completed his M.Phil and D.Phil at Balliol College, University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. In 2006, while a graduate student, Nicholas founded New Mandala, a website which has gone on to become the preeminent public forum in Southeast Asian Studies. After returning to Canberra from Oxford, he was appointed Postdoctoral Fellow at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security.

Since 2011, he held a number of key academic positions in the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, including as a Deputy Director of the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs and as Director of the ANU Myanmar Research Centre, an institution he helped establish in 2015. From 2017-2019 he was Associate Dean of the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific responsible for development and impact initiatives.

Nicholas is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).

In January 2020 he took up his new position at the University of Tasmania.

As the Myanmar junta’s hold on power weakens, could the devastating war be nearing a conclusion?

Jan 29, 2025 06:49 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

It has now been four years since the Myanmar military launched its cataclysmic coup against the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1 2021, starting a civil war that has devastated the...

Economy

Trump Meets Mexico and Canada Leaders After 2026 World Cup Draw Amid USMCA Tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Washington on Friday, holding private talks focused on trade, immigration, and regional cooperation. The...

Gold Prices Edge Higher as Markets Await Key U.S. PCE Inflation Data

Gold prices moved higher in Asian trading on Friday, supported by a weakening U.S. dollar and strong expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at its upcoming December 910 meeting. Spot gold rose 0.5%...

Asia’s IPO Market Set for Strong Growth as China and India Drive Investor Diversification

Asias equity capital markets are poised for another strong year as a surge of high-profile IPOs from China and India attracts global investors seeking diversification beyond U.S. assets. In 2025, Asian ECM...

Spain’s Industrial Output Records Steady Growth in October Amid Revised September Figures

Spains industrial sector posted a moderate yet encouraging rise in October, with industrial output increasing 1.2% compared to the same month last year, according to new data released by the National Statistics Institute...

European Stocks Rise as Markets Await Key U.S. Inflation Data

European stock markets edged higher on Friday as investors looked ahead to the delayed release of the Federal Reserves preferred inflation metric, a key indicator ahead of next weeks policy meeting. By early European...

Politics

Cuba Quietly Signals Openness to Post-Maduro Venezuela as U.S. Pressure Intensifies

U.S. pressure on Venezuela has triggered discreet outreach from figures inside the Cuban government, according to two sources familiar with the sensitive communications. The individuals, who requested anonymity, said that...

Escalating Conflict in Eastern Congo Despite U.S.-Brokered Peace Efforts

Fighting intensified across eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday, just a day after U.S. President Donald Trump met with Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Washington. The...

Honduras Awaits Final Election Results as Asfura Holds Slim Lead Amid U.S. Attention

Honduras presidential race tightened further on Friday as conservative candidate Nasry Asfura maintained a razor-thin lead while vote counting stretched into a sixth day. With 87.84% of ballots counted, the National Party...

Trump’s New U.S. Strategy Seeks to Deter China and Protect Taiwan

President Donald Trumps administration has outlined a strengthened U.S. strategy aimed at preventing conflict with China over Taiwan and the South China Sea by expanding American and allied military power. The latest...

Putin and U.S. Envoy Witkoff Hold “Truly Friendly” Talks as Ukraine Peace Efforts Intensify

The Kremlin signaled a notable shift in tone in U.S.Russia dialogue after Russian President Vladimir Putins nearly five-hour meeting with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and White House adviser Jared Kushner. According to Yuri...

Science

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Trump and Merck KGaA Partner to Slash IVF Drug Costs and Expand Fertility Coverage

U.S. President Donald Trump and German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA have announced a groundbreaking deal aimed at lowering the cost of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments while boosting access to fertility care in...

Technology

Taiwan Opposition Criticizes Plan to Block Chinese App Rednote Over Security Concerns

Taiwans political landscape heated up after the government announced a plan to suspend access to the Chinese social media platform Rednoteknown as Xiaohongshufor one year. The interior ministry said the proposed ban stems...

EU Prepares Antitrust Probe Into Meta’s AI Integration on WhatsApp

The European Commission is reportedly preparing to launch a new antitrust investigation into Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META) over the companys recent rollout of artificial intelligence features within WhatsApp....

Sam Altman Reportedly Explored Funding for Rocket Venture in Potential Challenge to SpaceX

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly explored raising significant capital to acquire or partner with a rocket company, a move that could have created direct competition with Elon Musks SpaceX. According to a report from the...

Wikipedia Pushes for AI Licensing Deals as Jimmy Wales Calls for Fair Compensation

Wikipedia is seeking additional licensing deals with major technology companies to address the growing financial burden caused by artificial intelligence firms heavily scraping its platform, according to co-founder Jimmy...

Firelight Launches as First XRP Staking Platform on Flare, Introduces DeFi Cover Feature

Firelight reaches 25M XRP deposit cap within hours of launch; ushers in a new era for decentralized XRP staking. A new XRP staking platform, Firelight, has officially launched on the Flare blockchain, marking the first...