I am Economist at the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) in Singapore, where I am responsible for macroeconomic and financial surveillance of the Malaysian and Japanese economies.

Prior to joining AMRO, I was Senior Researcher and Head of Economics and Finance at the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS) in Brunei Darussalam. I managed and led a team of researchers to produce the Brunei Economic Outlook, a CSPS flagship publication that discusses recent key developments in the Brunei economy and the economic outlook for the year. I have also worked on a broad range of policy areas including fiscal policy, economic diversification, productivity, unemployment, circular economy, energy, transport, trade facilitation, and SME development. My national committee appointments include Academic Member of the Brunei Macroeconomic Development Committee and Member of the Council for Research and Advancement in Technology and Science (CREATES) Evaluation and Approval Working Committee. 

Previously, I was Economist in the Prospects Group at the World Bank. My work included surveillance of fertilizers, metals and minerals, and precious metals markets and contribution to analytical research projects on global recessions, debt crises, inflation, commodity markets, and informality in emerging market and developing economies. My other consulting engagements for international organizations included the ASEAN Secretariat and Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).  I was also affiliated with the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) School of Business and Economics as an Adjunct Associate Professor and with Euromoney Country Risk as a Country Risk Expert. 

My research interests are in international and development economics, focusing on macroeconomic policy in resource-rich countries. During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, I devoted my time to COVID-19 research—working with dedicated public health professionals and epidemiologists in contributing scientific evidence on the rapidly evolving situation.

I completed my PhD in Economics at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University (ANU) in 2016. I am currently a Research Associate at the Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis (CAMA) in the following programs: Commodities and the Macroeconomy, COVID-19 and the Macroeconomy, and Finance and the Macroeconomy.

I graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) with a MSc in Finance and Economics in 2007, and the National University of Singapore (NUS) with a MSocSci in Applied Economics in 2005 and BSc (Hons) in Statistics in 2003. I also hold the Financial Risk Manager (FRM) designation since 2012.

Google Scholar: Wee Chian Koh

Email: Koh.WeeChian[at]amro-asia.org