The Institute of Asian Research (IAR) at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thr ...

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 China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

and

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

, the institute conducts research and teaching in policy-relevant issues informed by language and

area studies Area studies (also known as regional studies) are interdisciplinary fields of research and scholarship pertaining to particular geographical, national/ federal, or cultural regions. The term exists primarily as a general description for what ...

. The institute's Master of Public Policy and Global Affair 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.

Institute of Asian Research Faculty

* Timothy Brook, Republic of China, chair in Chinese Research *

Timothy Cheek Timothy Cheek ( zh, t=齊慕實, s=齐慕实, p=Qí Mùshí) is a Canadian historian specializing in the study of intellectuals, the history of the Chinese Communist Party, and the political system in modern China. He is Professor, Louis Cha Chair ...

, Louis Cha Chair in Chinese Research * Cesi Cruz, assistant professor, Institute of Asian Research and department of political science * 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 Tsering Wangdu Shakya () (born 1959) is a historian and scholar on Tibetan literature and modern Tibet and its relationship with China. He is currently Canadian Research Chair in Religion and Contemporary Society in Asia at the Institute of Asia ...

, 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 The Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto is an interdisciplinary academic centre with various research and educational programs committed to the field of globalization. Located in Toronto, Ontario, it o ...

; Senior Fellow, Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada (APFC); co-director, UBC China Council * Ilan Vertinsky, Vinod Sood Professor, International Business Studies, Sauder School of Business, professor of Strategy and Business Economics, professor, Institute of Asian Research and Sauder School of Business

Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs Program

UBC's Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs is a graduate program that provides a path for management roles in international institutions, companies, non-governmental organizations and various levels of government in all parts of the world.

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 sustainable design. It is the

'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.CascadiaBC

References

{{authority control 1978 establishments in British Columbia Research institutes of international relations Public policy schools University of British Columbia Research institutes in Canada Sustainable architecture Buildings and structures in Vancouver