Dr Sophia Htwe

Research Associate

Dr Sophia Htwe is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Initiative for Peacebuilding, University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on peace and conflict, political legitimacy, civil society, sub-state governance, civilian protection, and ethnic politics, with a regional focus on Myanmar and Southeast Asia.

Sophia completed her PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Melbourne in 2026. Her doctoral research examined civil society, conflict, and contested peacebuilding in Rakhine State, exploring how local civil society actors understand and pursue peace in the context of armed conflict and changing systems of governance.

She also holds a Master of International Community Development from Victoria University.

Sophia brings more than a decade of experience in research and peacebuilding practice in Myanmar. She is particularly interested in producing research that connects locally grounded knowledge with broader academic scholarship, policy, and practice.