Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia


The Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia is an independent Malaysian think tank established in March 2014 with a focus on key public policy concerns in Southeast Asia. It is based at Sunway University in the Malaysian state of Selangor.

History

JCI was created as part of a Jeffrey Cheah Foundation gift that also established two Professorships in Southeast Asian Studies at Harvard University.
Woo Wing Thye, Professor of Economics at UCDavis and the former Executive Director of the Penang Institute was appointed JCI's founding President in 2014. JCI's work focusses on four key areas: economics, education, social progress and governance. James Chin, Professor of Political Science and Head of the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Monash University Malaysia was named to lead the Institute's governance programme. Other fellows and researchers are drawn from institutions around the Southeast Asian region.
The Institute also co-ordinates the Jeffrey Cheah Travel Grants, which facilitate academic exchange between students and staff at Sunway University, Sunway College, Monash University Malaysia Campus and Harvard University in the United States.