Albert Lau

Historian & Author | Former NUS Associate Professor | Singapore's Albatross Files Expert

Hi, I'm Albert Lau. I'm a historian and best-selling author specialising in the political and constitutional history of Singapore, Malaysia and Southeast Asia, and a former Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS). My work has been featured in History Today, Channel News Asia and The Straits Times.

I've spent my career researching and writing about the moments that shaped this region. My books include the landmark A Moment of Anguish: Singapore in Malaysia and the Politics of Disengagement, The Malayan Union Controversy, Southeast Asia and the Cold War (which I edited), and A New History of Southeast Asia, co-authored with leading regional historians. In 2025, I was the subject matter expert for the Albatross Files: Inside Separation book and the Albatross File exhibition.

Today I share that knowledge with students, researchers, writers and anyone who wants to understand how Singapore and Malaysia came to be.

I can help you:

• Understand Singapore's merger with Malaysia and separation in depth
• Find and use primary sources for your research
• Strengthen essays, theses and writing projects on regional history
• Make sense of how the Cold War shaped Southeast Asia
• Turn historical research into stories people want to read

Sessions are detailed and rigorous, the same way I approach my own research, but always built around your goals. Whether you're working on a thesis chapter or simply curious about the past, we'll start from where you are.

History isn't just about what happened. It's about why it still matters today. If you want to understand this region more deeply, let's talk.