Jessica Yeo

Background

Jessica Yeo graduated with a B.A. Hons from the University of Sydney; majoring in both Asian Studies and Cultural Studies. She later pursued her M.Sc. in Asian Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) and was awarded the RSIS Research Analyst Study Award.

Jessica was attached to RSIS’ Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies Programme (SRP). She was tasked with the monitoring of inter-religious/religious conflicts and peace building efforts in the Indochina region, and published reports on the topics.

During her time with RSIS, Jessica assisted Dr Paul Hedges with his study on religious pluralism in Singapore. She also worked with Dr Mohamed Ali on his book chapter on Countering Violent Extremism in Singapore. Jessica was part of a group that was charged with the monitoring of, and the follow-up of the 2018 Sri Lanka Riots; she co-wrote a commentary on the topic titled Ultranationalist Buddhist Rhetoric in Sri Lanka.

Jessica comes from a media background. She previously worked as a broadcast news producer, and has completed several internships with both print and television news agencies.

Asian Languages

Jessica is proficient in Mandarin. She is currently learning Bahasa Indonesia for the purposes of her fieldwork.

Research Interests

Jessica is interested in topics that pertain to counterterrorism, Buddhism, Islam, and the countering of religious violence. Her current research is centred on violent Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

Jessica's broader interests include post-feminism and cultural theory.