My Internship Experience at the International Studies Center (ISC)

As an ISC Intern From January 6 – May 2, 2025

          During my time at ISC as the very first ISC Intern, I gained so much valuable experience not only in academic and research work but also in life lessons and learning how to adapt to the professional world. As a fresh graduate eager to explore and find my way in the field of research and academia, this internship really matched what I was looking for and gave me the chance to learn directly in the area I hope to build my career in. On top of the academic and research side, I also had the chance to take on other responsibilities. For example, I contributed to a project reviewing key foreign affairs issues to develop policy recommendations for the 150th anniversary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, helped organize academic seminars, joined meetings and discussions with Thai and foreign think tanks, and coordinated with external partners. All of these were new experiences for me, and each one has been incredibly valuable for my growth.

            In terms of academic and research experience, I had the opportunity to work on topics that truly interest me, such as international political economy and industrial policy, with case studies on the semiconductor and electric vehicle industries. I even had the chance to publish in ISC’s Journal. This experience taught me an important difference between writing academic papers for university and writing policy recommendations for a think tank. At university, the main goal is to “get a grade,” but in policy writing the focus is on “communication” with a wider audience both the public and policymakers. Because of that, the pressure shifted from just worrying about my personal performance to feeling a real sense of responsibility for the content I was presenting, since it could directly shape how people use the ideas. It wasn’t just about saying “what should be done,” but also about setting the direction of communication sharing perspectives, ideas, and ideology with society. Aside from my main academic work, I also had other assignments that really helped me become more detail-oriented and careful, such as learning how to prioritize tasks, working with the ISC team, developing people skills, and gaining a more practical understanding of what it means to deal with stakeholders. Altogether, these experiences gave me a new perspective on the world of work and helped me better understand what it’s really like in practice.

Naphakhawat Wanchai graduated in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a minor in Economics from Thammasat University. His academic interests include industrial policy, (international) political economy, and economic history. His relevant publications include, for example, "Global Power Shifts in the Semiconductor Industry: Analyzing the Roles of the United States, China, and Multinational Corporations Through the Concept of Security Regimes," published in the Graduate Review of Political Science and Public Administration Journal, 3(2), 61–98, and "Economic Strategy of the Republic of Korea: A Case Study of the Semiconductor Industry," which appeared in the Thai Journal of East Asian Studies, 28(1), 53–73.