Myanmar-Australia 2026 visiting fellowship recipients announced

The University of Melbourne Myanmar Research Network and The Australian National University Myanmar Research Centre are excited to announce two new visiting fellows as part of the Myanmar-Australia Fellowship Program in 2026. The program in 2026 is partly funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the University of Melbourne.

Aye Aye Aung is an aspiring international development professional with a strong commitment to advancing gender equality and educational development, particularly for women and young people. She is pursuing a master's degree in gender and development studies at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand. Her professional experience includes roles with Mercy Corps, International Republican Institute, and Plan International, supporting gender inclusion, economic empowerment, and community development initiatives. She also leads academic programming and gender-focused webinars at Spring University Myanmar. A 2024 YSEALI Professional Fellow, she currently researches technology-facilitated violence among exiled women academics from Myanmar after the 2021 coup through the Myanmar–Australia Visiting Fellowship Program. Aye Aye Aung's fellowship was in July. 

Kyaw Lwin is a Myanmar lawyer, legal researcher, and policy practitioner whose work focuses on law, human rights, federalism, transitional justice, and governance in Myanmar. He holds a Master of Public Policy from Chiang Mai University and a Master of Arts in Human Rights from Mahidol University, and research center head at Irrawaddy Law School. His research and professional work have examined judicial reform, legal and constitutional policy, land governance, community-based dispute resolution, gender and human rights, and governance in conflict-affected areas. His current study explores legal pluralism in Myanmar, particularly the relationship between customary law, statutory law, contested legal authority, and human rights in the context of political transition and aspirations for a future federal system. Ko Kyaw Lwin's fellowship will be in October.

Image: Aye Aye Aung and Kyaw Lwin