Venessa Sambai Usek is the Senior Manager, Research at IDEAS Malaysia. She has 13 years of experience working in various sectors – ranging from the public sector and the third sector, to the private sector. She is a published researcher experienced in turning complex research and policy ideas into practical strategies, cross-sector partnerships, and capacity building programmes. Her research areas span Indigenous rights, political participation, education, and development. Hailing from Sarawak, she is a first-generation graduate in her family, with a Master of Arts in Social Justice and Education from the University of York (under the UK government’s Chevening scholarship), a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from Universiti Utara Malaysia (under Teach For Malaysia), and a Bachelor of Science in Cognitive Science from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS).