Patricia Ann Hardwick is an anthropologist, folklorist, who is currently Research Associate-in-Residence at Hofstra University. She holds a dual PhD in Folklore and Ethnomusicology and Anthropology from Indiana University, Bloomington.

Under the US Fulbright Senior Scholar grant, Patricia carries out a 10-month project to investigate the historical and extant cultural flows between the Riau Islands, West Java, Central Java, Northeast Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, and Southern Thailand and explore how the exchange of ideas, performers, and performance practices in this region have influenced the Malay theatrical tradition of mak yong in the Riau Islands Province. Patricia is also interested in examining how the recognition of mak yong in Malaysia as a Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005 has raised awareness of the shared cultural heritage and identity of Malays and mak yong performers along the Northeast Coast of the Malay Peninsula, Southern Thailand, and the Riau Islands. During this period of research, Patricia is affiliated with the Faculty of Humanities, University of Indonesia.