Dr Poowin Bunyavejchewin
BA (Hons) (Thammasat), MA (Hull), PhD (Naresuan)

Poowin Bunyavejchewin is a tenured Senior Researcher at the Institute of East Asian Studies (IEAS) at Thammasat University in suburban Bangkok, and was Joint Editor-in-Chief of its in-house journal, International Journal of East Asian Studies. He is also founding Head of the University’s Research Unit in History and International Politics (TU-HIP). Bunyavejchewin has published more than 70 journal articles in both Thai and English. He has reviewed over 150 academic manuscripts for various journals, including Asian Affairs and World Development, and has served on the editorial boards of PLOS ONE, Asian Journal of Arts and Culture, and Journal of Politics and Governance. His research interests include Asia-Pacific security, regional multilateralism, Thai foreign policy, Thai boys love (BL) media, and aviation politics.

Prior to joining IEAS in December 2013, Bunyavejchewin was a Lecturer at the School of Liberal Arts at Walailak University. He received a PhD in Political Science from Naresuan University in central Thailand. He holds an MA in International Politics from the University of Hull, UK, and a BA (Hons) in Political Science from Thammasat University. Besides degrees in Political Science and International Politics, Bunyavejchewin has an AdvDip in Aviation Law and Air Transport Management from NALSAR University of Law, India. He was awarded Thammasat University’s Outstanding Young Researcher Award in 2014. He was invited as a delegate under the Southeast Asian Young Leaders’ Programme (SEAYLP) to participate in the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, one of the world’s top security forums, in 2017. While working full-time at Thammasat University, he is pursuing a DBA degree through an online mode of study at GlobalNxt University in Malaysia, where he is completing his doctoral dissertation on the Thai BL content industry.

In 2022, Bunyavejchewin founded his own think tank based in India’s North West Delhi called the Vejchewin Research Institute. His publications in English have appeared in academic journals, such as Asian Politics & Policy and Strategic Analysis. His opinions on BL trends in Thailand have been quoted in media outlets, including TIME and The Economist. He welcomes proposals for the supervision or co-supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate students in the fields of comparative and international politics.

For his complete CV, see here (updated 30/12/2025).

Research Interests

• Asia-Pacific Security
• Regional Multilateralism
• Thai Foreign Policy
• Thai BL Media
• Aviation Politics

Selected Publications

‘The Myth of Sino-Thai Brotherhood: Archival Evidence on Thailand’s Relations with China in Continental Southeast Asia in the 1990s.’ Asian International Studies Review 23, no. 1 (2022): 28-52. DOI: 10.1163/2667078X-bja10014 (with Wichian Intasi, and Watcharabon Buddharaksa)

‘The Cold War, Old and New: A Preliminary Comparative Study of Polarity, Polarisation, and Elements of (In)stability.’ Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities 29, no. 2 (2021): 903-22. DOI: 10.47836/pjssh.29.2.09 (with Thapiporn Suporn, Pattanarat Faugchun, and Natthanont Sukthungthong)

‘China and Mekong Regionalism: A Reappraisal of the Formation of Lancang-Mekong Cooperation.’ Asian Politics & Policy 24, no. 2 (2021): 193-211. DOI: 10.1111/aspp.12575 (with Pongphisoot Busbarat, and Thapiporn Suporn)

‘How Regime Type and Governance Quality Affect Policy Responses to COVID-19: A Preliminary Analysis.’ Heliyon 7, no. 2 (2021): e06349. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06349 (with Ketsarin Sirichuanjun)

Author and Researcher Identifiers