Hema Nadarajah

I am a researcher and policy professional based in Vancouver, Canada. I currently work as Research Program Manager at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, leading programs on Arctic, outer space, and Southeast Asia, and hold an adjunct position at the University of British Columbia’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs.

Growing up in Singapore, some 7,200 kilometres from the Arctic Circle, it once seemed like the Arctic was a distant, isolated space. When I began my Master of Environment, the landmark USGS Arctic Resource Appraisal had just been released, sending the world’s attention northward overnight. What struck me wasn’t the resource rush itself, but how were Indigenous peoples, whose cultures and livelihoods are tied to the land and ice, making sense of the transformation unfolding around them? That tension – between the Arctic as a resource frontier and the Arctic as a homeland – is what drew me into this field.

My research has since grown to look at how non-Arctic Asian states like Japan and South Korea are engaging with the circumpolar region, how geopolitical tensions are straining long-standing norms of Arctic governance, and why frontier regions – the Arctic and outer space alike – tend to rely on soft law rather than binding treaties. That last question was the focus of my PhD dissertation at the University of British Columbia. I’ve also consulted on Arctic sovereignty and energy transition in Southeast Asia and previously worked for the Government of Singapore on climate change and biodiversity.

What keeps me in this field is the complexity of it: Indigenous peoples whose leadership is central to legitimate governance; Arctic states navigating a fraught geopolitical moment; and non-Arctic states carving out roles far from their shores. I am happy to connect with others who are passionate about these questions, whether you are deep in the weeds of Arctic policy or just finding your way in.

If you would like to contact me, you can via my:

Preferred email address: hema.nadarajah@fronteers.global
Social media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hema-nadarajah/
Other relevant links: https://www.asiapacific.ca/author/hema-nadarajah

Selected Publications:

Nadarajah, H. (2026). Advancing Arctic Sovereignty Through Indo-Pacific Defence Partnerships. Policy Magazine. https://www.policymagazine.ca/advancing-arctic-sovereignty-through-indo-pacific-defence-partnerships/
Nadarajah, H. (2025). Leveraging Canada’s Arctic Experience to Shape Space Mining Norms. Policy Options, IRPP. https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2025/10/canada-space-mining-governance/
Nadarajah, H. (2025). Greening the Military: Why Defence Spending Must Align with Climate Action. Policy Options, IRPP. https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2025/08/defence-spending-climate/
Nadarajah, H. (2023). An Arctic in Flux: Singapore’s Perspective. Asia Policy Journal, National Bureau of Asian Research. https://www.nbr.org/publication/asian-states-arctic-approaches-opportunities-for-engagement/
Nadarajah, H. (2020). Prevalence of Soft Law in International Relations: Case of the Arctic. Polar Law Yearbook. https://brill.com/view/journals/yplo/12/1/article-p285_18.xml

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