The Institute of Asian Research at the University of British Columbia is a research institute founded in 1978 and has been the foremost research centre in Canada for the inter-disciplinary study of Asia. With a broad geographic reach extending to China, India and South Asia, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia, the Institute conducts research and teaching in policy-relevant issues informed by language and area studies. The Institute has played a central role in building UBC's excellence in research, teaching and community liaison in matters pertaining to Asia. The Institute has pursued a rich and productive research agenda on many aspects of the human experience in Asia. The Institute's program is a professional global public policy program with particular expertise in Asia Pacific and sustainability policies. The program provides policy makers and future leaders with multidisciplinary policy analysis and design skills and subject-specific expertise in development, sustainability, and global governance. The Institute hosts five research centres: , , , , . These centres bundle the research activities on their respective countries/regions across the campus of the University of British Columbia. The Institute also hosts the , , and the .
Institute of Asian Research Faculty
at the Institute of Asian Research include some of the foremost experts on their area and region of expertise.
Julian Dierkes, Assistant Professor and Keidanren Chair in Japanese Research
Paul M. Evans, Director of the Institute of Asian Research
Hyung Gu Lynn, AECL/KEPCO Chair in Korean Research
Jessica Main,Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Foundation Chair in Buddhism and Contemporary Society
Kai Ostwald, Assistant Professor, Institute of Asian Research and Department of Political Science
Kyung-Ae Park, Korea Foundation Chair in Korean Research
Pitman B. Potter, Hong Kong Bank Chair in Asian Research
Tsering Shakya, CRC Chair in Religion and Contemporary Society of Asia
Sara Shneiderman, Assistant Professor, Institute of Asian Research and Department of Anthropology
Yves Tiberghien, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science; Senior Fellow, Global Summitry Project, Munk School of Global Affairs; Senior Fellow, Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada ; Co-Director, UBC China Council
UBC’s Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs is a highly challenging and rewarding graduate program that provides a path for high-performing professionals to enhance their careers or transition into senior management roles in international institutions, companies, non-governmental organizations and various levels of government in all parts of the world.
Asia Pacific Memo
features accessible scholarly knowledge about contemporary Asia. It's a communications initiative led by the Institute of Asian Research at The University of British Columbia. Distributed twice-weekly, it features or . As of November 2011, more than 120 Memos have been published. Each edition is delivered by email to over 2,500 subscribers, and attracts thousands of visitors each month. In addition, Asia Pacific Memo is active on , , and .
C. K. Choi Building
The Institute is housed in the purpose-built C. K. Choi Building in the northwest quadrant of the UBC campus. Designed by Matsuzaki Wright Architects of Vancouver, B.C., and completed in 1995, the building has been recognized for its leading-edge sustainable design. It is the University of British Columbia's "flagship environmental building" in what is calls its ‘living laboratory’, the campus used to showcase "innovative approaches to conserving energy, water and materials, while striving to make positive impacts on the environment." The building is named after Dr. Cheung-Kok Choi, a businessman and philanthropist in China, Hong Kong and Canada, and a major donor to UBC. The building houses the Institute's five research centres which focus on China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and India and South Asia. The "daringly innovative architecture" integrates cultural expression, interior and exterior architectural presence, together with environmental features and functions. The five identical curved roof forms reflect the Institute's Asian focus, providing an identifiable focus for each research centre without giving predominance to one culture or centre over another, and provide natural light and natural ventilation to interior spaces.
