Muanpong Juntopas was a Research Fellow at SEI in Bangkok until August 2012.  She has extensive work experience in Cambodia and Lower Mekong countries on decentralized rural development planning, and natural resources management.

She is a socio-economic specialist with a public policy background. She has worked for 16 years in the Mekong region both at micro and macro level; at grassroots in project implementation, and macro level in policy work at national and regional level. The working experiences in the Lower Mekong countries include local planning and governance, poverty reduction and food security strategy/plan, public participation, social analysis, social impact assessment, stakeholder analysis, rapid rural appraisal, and project formulation and implementation. She has worked in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand on these subjects.

With her 8 years work in Cambodia she speaks Khmer fluently, and possesses an in- depth understanding of their culture and subcultures, social interactions and dynamism as well as political arena, and accompanying power relations. She worked with local communities around Tonle Sap Lake at commune level for 5 years, thus has gained a good understanding of livelihood linkage to wetland resources, as well as different interest groups associated with them.

Juntopas is well versed s in working with multi discipline team in natural resource management project in the region, thus experienced in cross- sectoral analysis with other sector experts in multi sector team setting ( wetland ecologist, botanist, fishery experts, ornithologist, hydrologist, agronomist, economist, extension officers, civil engineers) and possess good perspective of social –economic development planning that is based on the reality of natural resource as well as effective way to interact with people of very different views.

She has worked as a consultant to and staff of UNDP, FAO, IUCN, Save the children, World Education, Danida Environment projects, and the MRC ( Mekong River Commission) and in partnership with ministries /department of rural development, and environment of Mekong countries.

Born native Thai in rural province, Juntopas has a BA from Khon Kaen University and Master in Public Policy from Seattle Washington.