Ralph Buiser
Ralph’s area of research is on maritime
trade unions and their members. His thesis is focused specifically on
Philippine maritime unions and how Filipino seafarers view and experience
unionisation. He is now in the writing up stage of his research towards a PhD
in Social Science – Global Political Economy in Cardiff while concurrently
working full time as a Research Analyst in the private sector.
Education and Past work experience:
Ralph finished his Postgraduate diploma on
Social Science Research Methods in Cardiff University in 2012. He has a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities from the University of Asia and the
Pacific in the Philippines, which he completed in 2008 and a Professional
Certificate in Political Economy awarded in 2009 from the same university.
He took an internship at the Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Manila in 2009 and worked under the
Social Development Department.
From 2009-2011 Ralph held a
research-intensive position at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as a
Junior Defense and Security Analyst under the Chief of Staff for Intelligence,
and the Office of Strategic and Special Studies. His past research work delved
on international human rights, humanitarian law, maritime and human security,
as well as militancy in Philippine trade unions.
Other Credits:
During Ralph’s stint as a junior analyst in
the Philippine military, he was given several special commendations by the
United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the AFP's Chief of Staff
for Intelligence, as well as from the Office of Strategic and Special Studies.
He also actively took part in the drafting
of the Human Rights-Based Intelligence Operations Handbook of the AFP, and has
co-written numerous articles in the OSS Digest, a Philippine military-based
journal of strategic and defense studies.
Ralph was awarded a full doctoral
scholarship by the Nippon Foundation and the Seafarers International Research
Centre, Cardiff University in 2011.