Ari DARMASTUTI has been the chairperson for the Women's Study Center at the University of Lampung from 1995 to 2001, which has multidisciplinary activities including research, lectures, courses and community service. At present she is the Executive Director of the Center for Governmental and Political Ethic Studies at Lampung Province, Indonesia. She also lectures at the University on comparative politics, political methodology and Indonesia's political party and election systems. Her main areas of interest are women's studies, politics and sustainable development. She has a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Gajah Mada, Indonesia. She took her master's degree in political science in the United States at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
She has been actively involved in the process of democratization in Indonesia by coordinating independent election monitoring body in North Lampung, giving monitoring training for university students and NGOs involved, giving voters education through trainings and radio talk shows, presenting papers in local legislative trainings, writing articles in the area of politics in local medias, etc.
Have attended courses in the field of women, women and human rights, women and environment both in national and international level. Present papers in the field of women, women and environment, women and politics, and other political topics (especially political parties, election, and community participation in the democratization process in Indonesia, especially in Lampung Province). Have also joined an NGO network for government and political transparencies in Lampung Province.
She is very interested in conducting research in the field of women, environment, and politics and have been producing numerous research reports in the field both through collaborative and individual works. The latest was about women human resource profile in coastal and small island areas in Lampung. This study thoroughly analyzed gender aspect in the areas under study, including a pattern of power relationship and a pattern of ownership and economic asset shift from women to men.
