Yun-han Chu

Outstanding Achievement Award Recipient

College of Liberal Arts, October 15, 2014

Yun-han Chu, Taiwan’s leading political scientist and internationally esteemed authority on and advocate for democratization in Asia, received his Ph.D. from the Political Science Department in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota in 1987. That year, he returned to Taiwan and joined the faculty ranks of National Taiwan University, where he continues to serve as professor of political science. During his tenure, Chu has held many prestigious appointments, including director of programs of the Institute of National Policy Research (Taiwan’s leading think tank), president of Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, and most recently (2012), he was elected Academician at Academia Sinica (the country’s highest academic honor). Chu is the lead founder and continuing lead coordinator of the Asian Barometer Survey (ABS), a collaborative project involving researchers from 13 countries in East and Southeast Asia as well as a number of foreign scholars. He has published more than 120 academic articles and books chapters, and he is the author or editor of 19 books. Chu’s professional and public service is Outstanding. He served as the president of the Chinese Association of Political Science (2002-2004) and as a member of the International Council of the Asia Society (2001-2007). Chu was the first Asian political scientist to serve as a member of the Council of the American Political Science Association (2009-20 11). Currently, he serves on the editorial board of Pacific Affairs, China Review, Journal of Contemporary China, International Studies Perspectives, and Journal of East Asian Studies. Additionally, he serves as president of Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, where he has played a critical role in cultivating intellectual networks not only between Taiwan and the world, but also among East Asian scholars.

Biographies are as-of time of award presentation.