Yvan Ysmael Yonaha is a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His current research is on the labor movements of essential workers during the pandemic, examining the dynamics of power among nurses and platform delivery riders as they struggle to improve their working conditions. He is a recipient of the Hong Kong Ph.D. Fellowship Scheme, awarded by the Research Grants Council of the city to promising scholars.

He previously served as an Instructor at the Development Studies Program of the Ateneo de Manila University and an Assistant Professor at the Department of Social Sciences of the University of the Philippines Los Baños. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Master of Arts in Philippine Studies (Major in Development Studies) degrees from the University of the Philippines Diliman. He has published journal articles and book chapters on the sociology of religion, politics, ethnicity, and migration.