He later received his doctorate from the American University in Washington, D.C. After earning his doctorate, Suryadinata returned to Singapore and took a research position at the Institute of South East Asian Studies (ISEAS) from 1976 to 1982.
Ia kemudian mendapatkan gelar S3-nya dari American University di Washington, D.C. Setelah itu Suryadinata kembali ke Singapura dan menjabat sebagai peneliti di Institute of South East Asian Studies (ISEAS) sejak 1976 sampai 1982.