Our Team
labC – Lab on Crisis & Communication
Where pioneering minds converge in crisis communication…
Prof (em). Dr. phil. Martin Löffelholz
Head of the Global Advisory Board
He is a distinguished scholar and Professor Emeritus of Media Studies at Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany, and former President of Swiss German University in Jakarta, Indonesia (2012–2015). His expertise encompasses risk, crisis and war communication, journalism, public diplomacy, and communication and politics, with a particular focus on Southeast Asia. With extensive international research experience, he has authored and edited more than 400 scholarly publications.
Dr. phil. Ngoc-Son Le
Founder and Head of labC – Lab on Crisis, Chairman of Berlin Crisis Solutions
Dr. Pauline Gidget Estella
Senior Associate Researcher
She is a senior academic whose research explores the intersections of journalism, crisis communication, AI, and de-Westernization. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany, where she studies journalism education and AI. Her research helps explain how journalism and communication practices evolve amid technological change. She also serves as Associate Editor of Media Asia, a Scopus-indexed journal focusing on media in Asian and diasporic Asian contexts.
Thu-Thao Thi Tran
Researcher & Academic Assistant
Thu-Thao Thi Tran is completing her final year of International Communication at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. As an emerging scholar, she focuses on crisis communication, strategic communication, and journalism practices. Her work explores evidence-based perspectives for understanding and navigating communication challenges in an increasingly uncertain and disrupted world.
And other collaborative international researchers….
Ms. Linh-Chi Dang
Researcher Assistant — Crisis Communication; Strategic Management
Linh-Chi Dang specializes in crisis communication and strategic management. Her research examines how organizations make critical decisions under uncertainty, coordinate responses, and maintain legitimacy during complex and rapidly evolving crises.
Ms. Anh Dai
Researcher Assistant — Risk Governance & Public Policy
Ms. Anh Dai researches risk governance, public policy, and institutional responses to uncertainty. Her work examines how governments assess, communicate, and govern emerging risks across diverse Southeast Asian political and administrative contexts.
Ms. Phuong-Anh Nguyen
Researcher & Academic Asisstant— Disaster Communication and Resilience
Phuong-Anh Nguyen studies disaster communication, community resilience, and local knowledge. Her research explores how communities interpret hazards, mobilize collective resources, and communicate during disasters, with particular attention to vulnerable populations.
Ph.D. can. Tien-Dung Bui
Researcher — Political Communication
He researches political communication, crisis governance, and the relationship between power and information. His work examines how political institutions shape visibility, public narratives, and communication during disasters and national emergencies.
Dr. Thu Nguyen
Senior Researcher — Comparative Risk & Crisis Studies
Dr. Thu Nguyen specializes in comparative risk and crisis research, examining how institutional cultures, governance systems, and communication structures shape responses to uncertainty. Her work connects European scholarship with emerging perspectives from Southeast Asia.
Dr. Quang Huy Tran
Senior Researcher — Disaster Risk Reduction & International Governance
Dr. Quang Huy Tran researches disaster risk reduction, international governance, and transnational crisis management. His work examines how governments, international organizations, and non-state actors coordinate knowledge, resources, and communication across borders during major disasters.
Dr. Hoang Nam Le
Researcher — Misinformation, Trust & Crisis Communication
Dr. Hoang Nam Le studies misinformation, public trust, and crisis communication. His research investigates how information disorder emerges during crises and how institutions can build credible communication strategies in fragmented media environments.
Dr. Lan Chi Dao
Researcher — Digital Media, AI & Risk Communication
Dr. Lan Chi Dao focuses on digital media, artificial intelligence, and risk communication. Her research examines how algorithmic systems influence information visibility, public interpretation, and the circulation of risk and crisis narratives.