Professor Nathan is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Asia-Europe Institute (AEI) in the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. Previously he wase Professor of International Relations in the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, University of Malaya from 1994-2001. From 1st April 2001 until 31st March 2007 he served as a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) in Singapore. He was also the Editor of the ISEAS journal, Contemporary Southeast Asia from January 2003 until April 2007. He served as Director of the Institute of Malaysian & International Studies (IKMAS) in the national University of Malaysia (UKM) from 1st January 2011 until 1st April 2013, and from 2014-2023, he was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA), in UKM.