Ferradj Ota, Keiko

PhD Candidate, University of Dundee — Politics & International Relations (Social Sciences)
Postgraduate Representative for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion 
Peer Mentor — Postgraduate Students, University of Dundee

I am a multilingual, multicultural professional (English, Japanese, French, Mandarin, Spanish) with over 15 years of international management experience in hotel operations, performance analytics, service quality assurance, operational systems data analysis, client relations and sales & marketing. Known for perseverance and a lifelong commitment to learning, I take satisfaction in achieving goals despite challenges.

Based in London and the Paris region, I am also a proud mother of two. My frontline experience serving political figures and royal families at ultra luxury international hotels inspired my transition to research in political science and international relations.

Education and research highlights:
•    BBA, Ritsumeikan University (Kyoto, Japan) — conducted company visits and interviews in Beijing and Tianjin to study Japanese foreign direct investment (FDI) in China, focusing on China’s evolution as a market and partner for Japanese multinationals during my exchange program at the University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China.
•    Completed a two academic year program at the Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada) — specialized in marketing.
•    MA in Asian and International Studies (MAAIS), City University of Hong Kong, with distinction — master’s thesis on Chinese FDI in Latin America, examining whether investment contributed to development or extraction.
•    MA in International Relations (MAIR), Queen Mary University of London (via the University of London Institute in Paris) — thesis on trilateral relations among China, the African Union, and the European Union.
•    Current research (PhD): political and economic impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic in Europe and implications for Sino European relations. I use Complex Interdependence framework to analyze who or what influenced Sino European relations during the health emergency.

If you would like to learn more about my research, please view my presentation (link). For enquiries or collaboration, please contact me at [email protected].