Aye Sandar Phyo is a research associate at Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. She is currently working on an Australian Center for International Agricultural Research funded research project, "Strengthening Institutional Capacity, Extension Services and Rural Livelihoods in the Central Dry Zone and Ayeyarwaddy Delta Regions of Myanmar". The focus of Sandar's research is on the application of socioeconomic research in policy formulations and implementations related long-term rural and agricultural development. She has a Master's of Science in regional and rural development planning from the Asian Institute of Technology.