The Asian Law Schools Association Young Scholars Chapter, in collaboration with the law schools at the Australian National University, Singapore Management University and Thammasat University, held the inaugural Young Scholars Conference from 29 to 30 July at the SMU Yong Pung How School of Law.
The conference was organized by Drs Akshaya Kamalnath of ANU, Amnart Tangkiriphimarn of Thammasat University and Nydia Remolina of SMU. It attracted almost 120 abstract submissions from which 18 were ultimately selected. The papers presented covered a wide range of topics including Competition Law, Intellectual Property, Law and Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Environmental Law and Sustainability, and Corporate Law. There were commentators for each paper and comments were also received from other presenters. In addition to the papers presented, Dean Lee Pey Woan of SMU and the President of ALSA, Professor Tan Cheng Han of the National University of Singapore, gave welcome addresses, and Professor Pasha Hsieh of SMU conducted a session on Interdisciplinary and Impactful Research as a Law Scholar.
Ms Yi Tang, a PhD candidate from the University of Hong Kong, found the conference very beneficial. She said that it “was incredibly rewarding to receive such high-quality feedback from experienced professors who took the time to engage deeply with our work.”
Dr Mandy Meng Fang from the City University of Hong Kong echoed this, saying that the conference “was very engaging with in-depth discussions.” Dr Fang appreciated the generous sharing of comments and suggestions from more established scholars. The diversity of perspectives from the speakers was a highlight for her as well.
UC Berkeley doctoral candidate, Mr Gunn Jiravuttipong, found the conference useful both substantively and socially, and like Dr Fang appreciated the comments from diverse scholarly backgrounds.
With the success of this inaugural conference, the Young Scholars Chapter has already turned its mind to the next conference, likely towards the end of 2025.
