Ali Abdillah has been a PhD Candidate in International and European Law at Utrecht University since 2022. His research focuses on the comparative study of regional economic integration in ASEAN and the European Union. In particular, he examines the legal dimensions of ASEAN’s economic integration by assessing both institutional and substantive frameworks, as well as developments in the regional digital economy. His work draws on the EU’s experience with regional integration to offer insights and potential pathways for strengthening ASEAN’s legal and institutional architecture. His research is supervised by Prof. mr. dr. Sybe de Vries (Utrecht University) and Prof. dr. mr. Armin Cuyvers (Leiden University). 

Beyond his dissertation, Ali’s research interests include international arbitration, AI governance, digital payments, constitutional law in Indonesia, and the broader interaction between law, technology, and regional cooperation. He has actively contributed to academic and policy discussions within the EU–ASEAN context, engaging with scholars, practitioners, and industry stakeholders working on regional governance and economic integration.

He holds an LL.B from the Faculty of Law, Universitas Indonesia (2014), and completed his LL.M in European Law at Leiden University in 2016. He also serves as a lecturer in the Constitutional Law Department at the Faculty of Law, Universitas Indonesia.