Dk. Dr. Noor Hasharina Pg Haji Hassan
Director of SHHBIDSS
Dk. Dr. Noor Hasharina Pg Haji Hassan currently holds the position of Director at the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies since 2025. Dk Dr. Noor Hasharina is a trained human geographer with a research focus on sustainable urban development. Her M.A. and Ph.D. studies explored financial regulations, urban consumption, and the social sustainability of urban dwellers. She served at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam from 2004 to 2024. Over time, she had expanded her research to encompass broader themes in urban sustainability, including social welfare, poverty, and housing and Asian studies in particular mobility and Southeast East Asian development and interconnectedness. Her most recent work investigates urban community resilience, adaptation capacities, and their evolving relationship with the environment. She was Senior Assistant Professor, teaching and researching in the Geography, Environment and Development Programme, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and through her role as a researcher and Director with the Institute of Asian Studies Centre, she continues to deepen her scholarly engagement with urban studies and Southeast Asian Studies.
Her research includes:
Examining the future of urban landscapes in Southeast Asia in light of shifting policies and environmental challenges, such as climate change, resettlement programs, and national development plans.
Investigating people–environment relationships and their influence on spatial patterns and livelihoods.
Studying mobility and development in Southeast Asia, particularly in relation to how regional movement, infrastructure and policy shifts impact urban and peri-urban communities including the vulnerable communities.
Leadership roles she has held while at Universiti Brunei Darussalam include:
- Head of the Borneo Studies Centre (2017–2022)
- Director of the Institute of Asian Studies (2022–2024)
- Director at the Office of the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Research (2019–2020)
In terms of academic affiliations, she has held the following visiting positions:
- Visiting Academic at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore (2024)
- Visiting Research Fellow at King's College London (2015)
- Visiting Scholar at the East-West Center, Hawaii (2014)
In 2024, Dk Dr Noor Hasharina was appointed as an Expert Resource for the Council for Research and Advancement in Technology and Science (CREATES), Brunei Darussalam.
Her publications include articles in leading international journals such as Geoforum and the Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, as well as multiple book chapters on Sustainability. She has presented her research at numerous academic and policy forums, both regionally and internationally, including:
- ASEAN–Australia Special Summit: Maritime Cooperation Forum Track, Melbourne (March 2024)
- Regional Studies Association Winter Conference 2023: Cities and Regions for Tomorrow – Towards Better Regional Futures
- China Greater Bay Area–ASEAN Roundtable and China–ASEAN Think Tank Cooperation and Economic Partnership Forum (Qianhai), China (2023)
Dr. Sabrina Dato Paduka Haji Mohd. Daud
Assistant Director of SHHBIDSS
Dr. Sabrina is a seasoned academic and strategic leader with a PhD in Land Economy from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. She brings over a decade of experience in higher education, international relations, and policy-relevant research. As former Director of Global Relations at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, she successfully led cross-border initiatives, institutional partnerships, and international student mobility programmes. Previously an Assistant Professor at UBD's School of Business and Economics, she specialised in teaching environmental economics and introductory statistics. Dr. Sabrina has presented at international forums on higher education internationalisation and regional cooperation, and is skilled in leading a team in time-sensitive high-volume multitasking operations with competing priorities. Her interdisciplinary expertise and leadership experience make her well-suited to contribute to impactful, evidence-based policy work at a global think tank. Dr. Sabrina was previously a Ministry of Education Special Scheme Scholar.