James Cook

James Cook is a Part Time Lecturer in the Department of History at the University of Pittsburgh’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. He currently serves as Associate Director of the Asian Studies Center under the University Center for International Studies (UCIS). His research focuses on Modern China, Southeast Asia, and transnational dynamics, with particular attention to overseas Chinese communities, environmental policy, and urban development.

Dr. Cook holds a Ph.D. in East Asian History from the University of California, San Diego (1998), alongside earlier degrees from Peking University and UC Santa Cruz. His work has been supported by significant grants including a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates grant and U.S. Department of Education FLAS awards.

Recent publications include Connecting China, Latin America, and the Caribbean: Infrastructure and Everyday Life (2023) and articles analyzing water policies in Qinghai Province (2013), Sun Yat-sen’s revolutionary networks (2011), and transnational urbanization in Xiamen (2006). He has presented widely at international conferences and held visiting appointments including the Arthur Lynn Andrews Chair in Asian and Pacific Studies at the University of Hawai’i (2013).

His research grants total over $4 million, focusing on areas like Chinese language education, rural public health, and environmental sustainability in northwest China. He maintains active collaborations with institutions such as Shaanxi Normal University and the Center for Historical Environment and Socioeconomic Development in Northwestern China.