Find Academic Supervisors

Christopher Rea is a Professor of Modern Chinese Literature in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Arts. He serves as a faculty member and former Associate Head of the Department of Asian Studies, former Director of the Centre for Chinese Research, an associate of the Hong Kong Studies Initiative, and a Faculty Fellow of St. John's College. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. from Columbia University (2008) and a B.A. from Dartmouth College (1999). Rea's research focuses on the modern Chinese-speaking world, with particular expertise in Chinese literature, cinema, print culture, translation, and the cultural history of humor and deception. His scholarly approach bridges literary analysis, cultural history, and film studies, creating a distinctive interdisciplinary perspective on modern Chinese cultural production. He is particularly known for his work on Republican-era China (1912-1949), exploring how cultural forms evolved during this transformative period. His major publications reveal a trajectory from studies of humor and laughter in modern China ( The Age of Irreverence , 2015) to literary hoaxes and deception ( The Book of Swindles , 2017), Chinese cinema ( Chinese Film Classics , 2021), and research methodology ( Where Research Begins , 2022). His current projects include China on the Make: Stories of Chinese Deception and The Unfinished Comedy , a sequel to The Age of Irreverence . National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellowship (2024) UBC Dean of Arts Mentorship Award (2024) UBC Killam Research Prize (2022) Joseph Levenson Book Prize (2017) Rea actively supervises graduate students and has developed significant digital resources, including the Chinese Film Classics project (chinesefilmclassics.org) featuring 40+ subtitled Chinese films and 22 video lectures, and a YouTube channel with over 250 videos on Chinese cinema and culture. His teaching extends to free online courses on The Modern Chinese Novel and early Chinese cinema, demonstrating his commitment to making scholarly resources accessible beyond traditional academic boundaries.

• Modern Chinese literature
• Cinema and film history
• Cultural history
• +5 more

Anup Grewal is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) within the Department of Historical and Cultural Studies and affiliated with the Tri-Campus Graduate Department of History at the University of Toronto. She teaches courses in History, Women’s Studies, and Global Asia Studies, integrating interdisciplinary perspectives into her pedagogy and research. Education: PhD in East Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago (2012) MA in History, Trent University BA in History, McGill University Her research focuses on modern Chinese cultural history, gender studies, and transnational leftist movements. She explores intersections of literature, film, and political activism, particularly examining Chinese women's roles in leftist movements of the 1920s-30s. Additional projects include comparative analyses of socialism in Indian and Chinese literature, and studies of minority films in contemporary China. Prior to her current position, she held roles as a Lecturer in Chinese and Comparative Literature at King’s College London (2013–15) and a Postdoctoral Fellow at Leiden University (2012–13).

• Cultural and Intellectual East Asia
• Empire, Colonialism and Indigeneity
• Gender, Sex and Sexualities
• +7 more

Joan Judge is a Professor of History at York University in Toronto, Canada, specializing in cultural history of modern China with focuses on knowledge cultures, print culture, and women’s history. She holds a PhD from Columbia University and additional degrees from the University of Alberta and the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris. Education: PhD, Columbia University MA, Columbia University MA, Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris BA, University of Alberta Research Interests: Judge’s work examines print culture in comparative perspective, Chinese women’s history, and reading practices in modern China. Her scholarship bridges transnational and local contexts, exploring how media like periodicals shaped gender roles and political discourse during transformative periods such as the late Qing dynasty and the early 20th century. Awards: 2021 Guggenheim Fellow Member of the Royal Society of Canada Grants & Leadership: Her current SSHRC-funded project, The Politics of Common Reading , analyzes vernacular knowledge in China from 1894–1954. She serves on the advisory boards of the British Inter-university China Centre and Journal of the History of Ideas in East Asia , and chairs roles in professional associations like the Canadian Association for the Study of Book Culture. Labs/Teams: Collaborates with global networks through her editorial work on collections such as Women and the Periodical Press in China’s Global Twentieth Century and Beyond Exemplar Tales .

• Cultural History of Modern China
• Knowledge Cultures
• Print Culture
• +5 more

Tong Lam is an Associate Professor in the Department of Historical Studies and the Graduate Department of History at the University of Toronto, where he also directs the Dr. David Chu Program in Asia-Pacific Studies at the Asian Institute. His research sits at the intersection of media studies, environmental history, and science and technology studies (STS), focusing on the politics and aesthetics of mobilization in China’s special zones across socialist and postsocialist eras. Employing interdisciplinary methodologies, his work explores themes such as state-precipitated violence, industrial ruination, and the socio-political implications of technology. He is a visual artist whose lens-based projects interrogate military violence, surveillance, and postindustrial landscapes. His recent scholarship analyzes postsocialist urbanism, digital governance, and the temporalities of infrastructure. While the absence of explicit scientific awards or student advisement records in the provided text precludes their inclusion here, his publications and creative practice reflect a sustained engagement with critical historical inquiry and contemporary socio-technological challenges.

• History
• Science and Technology Studies
• Media Studies
• +3 more

Younghoon Kim serves as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Asian Studies within the Faculty of Arts at the University of British Columbia (UBC), where he contributes to research and teaching in Korean studies, translation, and contemporary media. His work bridges cultural analysis with critical examinations of television and film across Korean and American contexts. Educational Background: Ph.D. from University of Alberta (2011) M.A. from University of Alberta (2006) M.A. from Sogang University (2004) B.A. from Myong Ji University (2002) Dr. Kim's research centers on Korean popular culture and national identity formation, with particular focus on entrepreneurship narratives and self-help culture in contemporary Korea. He investigates contemporary American television dramas as cultural artifacts reflecting societal shifts, while also exploring translation practices and fashion as expressions of cultural identity. His interdisciplinary approach connects media studies with sociological and philosophical frameworks. His recent publications reveal consistent thematic threads examining neoliberal subjectivity through television analysis (including Breaking Bad and Mad Men), Korean youth cultural expressions, and cross-cultural literary adaptations. The scholarly output spans musicology, television studies, and translation theory, with significant contributions to understanding how media shapes identity in both Korean and global contexts. Journal publications demonstrate strong engagement with A&HCI-indexed and Korean Citation Index venues.

• Korean Studies
• Translation Studies
• Television Studies
• +4 more

Yi Gu is an Associate Professor of modern and contemporary art and visual culture at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), with cross-appointments in the Department of Arts, Culture and Media and the Department of East Asian Studies. Her scholarly work centers on Asian visual culture, particularly China's artistic and photographic history from the early twentieth century to the present. Her research interests include cold war visual culture, post-socialist art, Chinese photography history, contemporary photography in Asia, mass art and amateurism, and visual methodologies across disciplines. Gu's work is driven by examining the political ambitions and social functions of art, as well as the politics of aesthetics. Her recent research has focused on aesthetic capitalism and digital surveillance in China, leading to studies of the Digital Countryside initiative and CCP aesthetics anchored in agrarian imaginary. Gu's publications reveal a consistent engagement with visual epistemology, particularly how Chinese artists and photographers have negotiated modernity, nation-building, and transnational influences. Her work spans from early twentieth-century open-air painting practices to contemporary digital visual culture, demonstrating how visual practices serve as critical sites for understanding China's social and political transformations. As co-editor of the open-access academic journal Trans Asia Photography and convening member of the research project 'Alternative Collections and Digital Humanities: Twentieth-Century Chinese Art and Visual Culture,' Gu actively contributes to expanding the field of Asian visual studies through collaborative scholarly initiatives. At UTSC, Gu teaches undergraduate courses on modern and contemporary Asian art, lens-based media in Asia, public art, and art and digital culture. Her scholarly approach combines art historical methods with visual culture studies, media theory, and cross-disciplinary perspectives to examine how visual practices shape and are shaped by political and social contexts in China and beyond.

• Modern and Contemporary East Asian Art
• Visual Culture
• Chinese Art History
• +5 more

Bruce Rusk is an Associate Professor in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia (Faculty of Arts) and serves as the Graduate Advisor. He previously taught at Cornell University for six years before joining UBC in 2012. During the 2012–13 academic year, he was on leave at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and the National Humanities Center in North Carolina. Additionally, he is the webmaster and past president of the Society for Ming Studies, a scholarly organization focused on Ming history and culture. Bruce holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where his dissertation, The Rogue Classicist: Feng Fang (1493–1566) and his Forgeries , examined sixteenth-century classical text forgeries. Following his Ph.D., he was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University from 2004 to 2006. He also earned his B.A. (History Honours) from UBC, which inspired his return to Vancouver to join the scholarly community here. His research focuses on the cultural history of pre-modern and early modern China, particularly the Ming and Qing dynasties. Key interests include authenticity and forgery in textual and material culture, transmission of knowledge, history of philology, writing systems in East Asia, and digital humanities. He collaborates globally on the SSHRC-funded FROGBEAR project, developing an open access repository for East Asian religious studies. Current work explores authentication practices surrounding artifacts like Xuande incense burners and silver ingots, reflecting his broader study of how authenticity and deception were negotiated in late imperial China. Recent publications address intersections between forgery, material culture, and digital methodologies, including co-editing Literary Information in China: A History (2021) and analyzing Ming-Qing literary practices. His work highlights the cultural significance of textual preservation and the sociocultural dynamics of early modern Chinese scholarship. As a leader in academic organizations, Bruce has contributed to the Society for Ming Studies, advancing research in Ming culture through his roles as webmaster and past president. His advising and grants include mentoring UBC graduate students and contributing to the FROGBEAR initiative. His career bridges historical research with digital innovation, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to Asian studies.

• Chinese Cultural History
• Material Culture
• Textual Studies
• +5 more

Professor Jinhua Chen (PhD, McMaster University, 1997) is a leading scholar in East Asian Buddhism at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts. Holding a Canada Research Chair (2001-2011) and inducted into the Royal Society of Canada (2020), his work spans trans-regional Buddhist narratives, monastic institutions, relic veneration, and technological innovations in medieval Asian religions. Key Affiliations: UBC Buddhist Forum (Director), Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies (Resident Scholar), and editorial roles in Brill Book Series on East Asian Religions and Studies in Chinese Religions . Research Themes: Combines textual analysis with interdisciplinary methods to explore Buddhist sacred sites, doctrinal transmissions, and church-state dynamics. His projects include From the Ground Up (SSHRC Partnership Grant 2016-2023), examining East Asian religions through multi-media sources, and studies on ruixiang (propitious signs) in medieval Chinese prognostication. Scientific Awards: Royal Society of Canada Fellow, Canada Research Chair, SSHRC Insight Grants, Humboldt Research Fellowship, and Max Planck Institute funding. Publications: Over 30 book chapters and journal articles (2000-2016), including monographs on Fazang, Shingon-Tendai conflicts, and Buddhist sacred geography. Teaching: Courses on Chinese thought, Chan/Zen Buddhism, and Buddhist text interpretation, emphasizing methodological rigor and cross-cultural analysis. Projects: Directed international collaborations on Buddhist manuscripts, palace chapels, and relic cultures, with grants totaling over $4 million CAD.

• East Asian Buddhism
• Buddhist Transmission Narratives
• Church-State Relationships
• +6 more

Juan Wang is an Associate Professor at McGill University, specializing in the study of the Chinese state, its institutional dynamics, and interactions between state and non-state actors. His research focuses on China's political economy of development, legal systems, and authoritarian governance. He holds a PhD from Johns Hopkins University and teaches courses on Chinese politics, contentious politics, and judicial systems. Research interests emphasize the construction of bureaucracy, local governance patterns, and epistemology of state power. Methodologically, he uses qualitative and historical approaches to explore topics like judicial corruption, police evolution, and cadre discipline. Recent work examines authoritarian cue effects and comparative citizen categorization systems in China and North Korea. His publications span journals such as American Journal of Political Science and China Law and Society Review , analyzing themes like state repression mechanisms, legal mediation practices, and subnational court empowerment. He has contributed a seminal book The Sinews of State Power (2017) on rural governance dynamics. Advising and grants information is not explicitly detailed in the provided text.

• Comparative Government and Politics
• Political Economy of Development
• Law and Politics
• +3 more

Jeremy Tai is Associate Professor in Modern Chinese History at McGill University, specializing in intellectual and social history from 1900 to present. His research examines gender, political economy, and cultural transformations. Specializations : Modern China, gender and sexuality studies, critical theory, and transnational cultural exchange. Key Publications : Focus on feminism in early 20th-century China and regional capitalism under Nationalist rule. Translated foundational Chinese feminist texts.

• Modern China
• Intellectual History
• Social History
• +4 more

Plácido González Martínez is a Professor at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai, and a Distinguished Professor under the Eastern Scholar program. He serves as Executive Editor of the journal Built Heritage and is Vice President of the Association of Critical Heritage Studies, reflecting his leadership in global heritage discourse. His research centers on built heritage conservation, modern architectural history, and the socio-spatial dynamics of urban transformation. He critically investigates urban authenticity , gentrification , and heritage in the context of globalization , particularly in Chinese cities like Shanghai and Beijing. His work combines theoretical rigor with empirical analysis of urban interventions. The available articles reveal a consistent focus on the tensions between heritage conservation and commercial redevelopment , especially in historic urban neighborhoods. His scholarship interrogates how authenticity is constructed, negotiated, and often compromised in large-scale urban regeneration projects across East Asia. Scientific Awards: 1st Prize for Research, 2018 Spanish Architecture Biennale (for In Light of Hilberseimer ) Prof. González Martínez has held influential advisory roles, including drafting the Spanish National Plan for the Conservation of 20th Century Heritage (2014) and serving on the Advisory Board of the same. He is a founding member of the research collective GAMUC, which studies Spanish colonial architecture in Africa, and a member of the Scientific Committee of the Iberian Docomomo Foundation. These roles underscore his international impact in architectural heritage and critical conservation studies. He is actively involved in major academic initiatives, including editorial leadership of Built Heritage and participation in transnational research networks. His work bridges European and Chinese urban heritage paradigms, offering critical insights into the future of historic cities under global pressures.

• Built Heritage Conservation
• Modern Architectural History
• Urban Planning
• +7 more

Julie Yujie Chen is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information, and Technology (ICCIT) at the University of Toronto Mississauga, with a graduate appointment at the Faculty of Information. She holds a PhD in American Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park, and previously served as a Lecturer at the University of Leicester's School of Media, Communication, and Sociology. Her research focuses on the intersection of culture, digital technologies, and economic structures in shaping work experiences, particularly in China's platform economy. Key areas include ride-hailing and food-delivery sectors, worker resistance in digital capitalism, and the sociocultural impacts of platforms like WeChat. She is the lead author of *Super-sticky WeChat and Chinese Society* (2018), the first academic work analyzing WeChat's societal and political influence. Research interests: Digital labour, platform capitalism, AI-driven work, global labour patterns, and socio-technological change. Current supervision: Hiu-Fung Chung and Mathew Iantorno. Her recent work examines platform labour dynamics, national employment policies in China, and comparative studies of global digital economies. Articles often explore themes like worker agency, algorithmic management, and socio-technical resistance strategies.

• Artificial Intelligence
• Digital Labour
• Platform Economy
• +3 more

Jeremy Brown is a Professor in the Department of History at Simon Fraser University. He specializes in the social and political history of the People’s Republic of China, with a focus on urban-rural dynamics, Maoist-era policies, and the Tiananmen protests. His research integrates oral histories and grassroots sources to challenge state-centric narratives. Brown earned his PhD from the University of California, San Diego (2008), and has held editorial roles for Cambridge Studies in the History of the People’s Republic of China (2014–2021). He is a recipient of the SFU Excellence in Teaching Award (2017) and multiple SSHRC grants. His books include June Fourth: The Tiananmen Protests and Beijing Massacre of 1989 (2021) and Maoism at the Grassroots (2015). He currently supervises graduate students in Asian history and oral history. Education: PhD in History, UC San Diego (2008); Language training at Harbin Institute of Technology (1997) and Tsinghua University (2000–2001). Key Research Themes: Maoist ideology, urban-rural divides, Cultural Revolution, memory studies, and political repression. Grants: SSHRC Standard Research Grant (2010–2013), Henry Luce Foundation Fellowship (2014–2015). His work often examines everyday life under Maoism, including resistance to state policies, grassroots agency, and the legacies of trauma in modern China. Brown is also active in teaching innovation, such as using Wikipedia to engage students with contested historical events.

• Modern Chinese History
• Maoist China
• Political History
• +3 more

Yvon Wang is an Associate Professor at the Department of History , University of Toronto (St. George Campus), specializing in East Asian history with a focus on gender, sexuality, and everyday life. He coordinates the Chinese History Grad Group and directs the Faculty & Postdoc Writing Workshop . His research spans imperial to modern China, including material culture, suicide studies, and Cold War socio-political dynamics. PhD and MA from Stanford University AB from Princeton University Current projects include SSHRC-funded studies on suicide in Chinese history and global responses to the Sinosphere during the Great Leap Forward . His publications examine topics like pornography in modern China, masculinities in early People's Republic media, and legal constructions of sexuality in Beijing. Recent articles include: Gray Markets in the Great Leap (2022) exploring economic deviance in 1950s Shandong Everyday Lives in China's Cold War Military-Industrial Complex (2022) analyzing worker experiences in Shanghai Reinventing Licentiousness (2021) tracing pornography's historical trajectory Scientific honors include SSHRC-funded research projects . He maintains affiliations with the Department of East Asian Studies and teaches courses covering Chinese history from prehistory to the 21st century.

• Cultural and Intellectual East Asia
• Gender, Sex, and Sexualities
• Social State, Politics, and Law
• +6 more

Tsering Shakya is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC), holding the Canada Research Chair in Religion and Contemporary Society in Asia. He is affiliated with the Institute for Asian Research within the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, and co-leads the Himalaya Program. His expertise spans Tibetan history, politics, and cultural production, with notable contributions to understanding ethno-national identity, religious practice, and minority policy in the Himalayan region and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Shakya’s research bridges historical and contemporary analyses of Tibet, focusing on social transformation, political dynamics, and the role of social media in shaping minority experiences. He currently serves as President of the International Association of Tibetan Studies, reflecting his global scholarly leadership. Research Interests : His work examines the intersection of politics, identity, and religion in Tibet and the Himalayas. Key themes include Tibetan cultural resilience, PRC minority policies, and the evolving landscape of protest and dissent. He has also explored the impact of social media on marginalized communities in China. Awards : He holds the prestigious Canada Research Chair, underscoring his academic impact. His seminal works, such as The Dragon in the Land of Snows , are widely acclaimed as foundational texts on modern Tibetan history. Teaching : He teaches courses like Nationalism, Religion, and Ethnic Conflict in Asia and Policy in Context , emphasizing critical analysis of regional and global policy challenges. Labs/Teams : As co-lead of the Himalaya Program, he fosters interdisciplinary research on Himalayan societies, governance, and cultural preservation.

• Tibetan Studies
• Political Science
• Ethno-National Identity
• +5 more