Professor Roel Sterckx is the Joseph Needham Professor of Chinese History, Science, and Civilization at the University of Cambridge, affiliated with Clare College. He specializes in pre-imperial and early imperial Chinese thought, classical Chinese language, and natural history. His research bridges anthropology and the history of science, focusing on topics like ritual, economic thought, and animal studies. He has authored influential books including Food, Sacrifice, and Sagehood in Early China and Animals through Chinese History . Sterckx is a Fellow of the British Academy (since 2013) and holds leadership roles at the Needham Research Institute. He supervises PhD students on subjects ranging from Warring States rhetoric to Han Dynasty apocrypha. Education: BA/PGCE in Sinology and History, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Masters in Classical Chinese and Philosophy, National Taiwan University PhD in Chinese History, University of Cambridge Research Interests: Early Chinese cultural ecology, ritual economy, and the interplay of moral and material values. His work analyzes texts like the Rites of Zhou , Mozi , and Huainanzi , emphasizing agricultural thought and animal symbolism. Awards: British Academy Fellowship (2013) Grants and Labs: Directs the Cambridge-based Needham Research Institute, focusing on East Asian science and technology history. Current projects include studies on Han perceptions of southern regions and the economics of ritual in early China.
Professor Astrid Nordin holds the Lau Chair of Chinese International Relations at King's College London's Lau China Institute, within the School of Global Affairs. Previously, she was a Professor and Director at Lancaster University's China Centre. Her research bridges Chinese studies and critical international relations, focusing on relational theories and China's global role. Key areas include Chinese foreign policy, surveillance technologies, and decolonial approaches. Education: Peking University, Jilin University, City University Hong Kong, University of Warwick, University of Manchester Research Interests: Chinese world order concepts, relational approaches, critical social theory, and ontology of war. Her work emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, impacting policy, media, and cultural sectors. Notable projects include the 'Chinese Anger Diplomacy' study and the 'ESRC IAA: Community-led support for overseas Chinese' initiative. She co-edited the Routledge Handbook of Social Futures (2021) and contributes to public discourse on China's global influence. Awards: KingsCAT Tool Development (2024) alongside interdisciplinary team.
Rachel Leow is an Associate Professor in Modern East Asian History and Fellow of Murray Edwards College at the University of Cambridge. She holds a PhD and MPhil from St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, and a BA from Warwick University. Her research critiques rigid nationalisms in East Asia, focusing on transregional cultural and intellectual histories. Her book Taming Babel: Language in the Making of Malaysia (2016) won the 2018 Harry J. Benda Prize for Southeast Asian studies. Current projects include an anti-diasporic history of Chinese migration and early 20th-century Asian thought-worlds. Leow emphasizes public engagement, contributing to blogs, literary reviews, and collaborative manifestos. She teaches World History courses, including Part IA’s Outline 11 and specialized modules on East/Southeast Asia. She supervises postgraduate students exploring transnational East Asian history from 1850 to the present. Professional affiliations include the Royal Historical Society, Center for History and Economics, and editorial roles at The Historical Journal and Global Intellectual History . Awards include the Harry J. Benda Prize and RHS Fellowship. Her digital work includes a visualization of Afro-Asian Cold War networks and a short film on diasporic identity.
Professor Stephen Chan is a faculty member at SOAS University of London in the Department of Politics and International Studies (POL) . With a focus on African political thought and international relations, his work critically examines postcolonialism, decoloniality, and global governance. Key research themes include: Decolonizing international relations theory Sino-African political dynamics Election observation and democratic processes Non-Western cosmopolitanism Comparative diplomatic practices His recent publications analyze the ideological ambiguity of decoloniality (2023), pluralist visions for global security (2017), and the legacy of African liberation movements (2021). He has advised multiple theses on topics ranging from parliamentary governance in Kenya/Zimbabwe to China-Africa media interactions. Notably: Critiqued the misuse of 'decoloniality' as ideological rhetoric (2023) Authored a poetic autobiography of political engagement (2022) Traced Africa's intellectual history of freedom (2021) Examined Zimbabwean elections (2017) Explored non-Western modernity (2018)
Lucia Dolce serves as the Numata Professor of Japanese Buddhism within the Department of Religions and Philosophies at SOAS University of London, part of the School of History, Religions and Philosophies. Her academic base is room 342 in the Russell Square: College Buildings campus. Her educational background includes: Laurea MA (University of Venice) PhD (Leiden University) Professor Dolce's research centers on two interconnected projects: first, the discourse on the body in medieval Japanese Buddhist rituals and its connections to continental Tantric practices, emphasizing ritual fluidity and performative theory applications; second, contemporary Buddhism-Shinto syncretism with focus on revival of premodern practices in Kyoto shrines. She also examines Tokyo's urban pilgrimage routes like the Seven Gods of Fortune, analyzing institutional negotiations and religious marketing dynamics. Her journal articles (1992-2023) consistently explore ritual knowledge transfer in Japanese Buddhism, with recent works on scriptural repurposing and tantric exegesis highlighting material culture and practice-centered approaches. Earlier publications establish foundational studies on Nichiren Buddhism's esoteric dimensions, astrological cults, and celestial body worship, revealing enduring thematic threads across three decades of scholarship. Scientific awards: No awards listed in provided text Advising and grants: She currently supervises four PhD candidates: Rachel Williams (Japanese Secularity), Haruka Saito (Repentance Rituals), Sooyeun Yang (Korean Astrological Buddhism), and Yeonju Lee (Korean Nationalism). Previous supervisees include twelve PhD graduates such as Emanuela Sala (2022, Sannō Shintō), Ronit Wang (2022, Thai Hell Parks), and multiple 2011 completions. Dolce led the Newton Fellowship-associated project 'The Lucky Gods of Tokyo' (2014-2016), investigating spatial politics in Buddhist-Shinto pilgrimage networks.
Emily Butterworth is a Professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at King’s College London, within the Faculty of Arts & Humanities. She holds a prestigious position in Early Modern French literature studies, focusing on speech practices, women’s writing, and cultural analysis. Her career includes roles at the University of Sheffield (2002–2006) before joining King’s, where she has been a core faculty member since 2006. Education: Emily studied French at University College London (UCL) and the University of Cambridge, establishing her foundation in French literary and cultural studies. Research Interests : Her work centers on early modern literature and thought, particularly deviant speech, gossip, and the role of scandal in French Renaissance texts. Key focuses include: Analysis of Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptameron and its cultural context Montaigne’s exploration of ethics and skepticism Gendered discourse in early modern women’s writing The intersection of print culture, censorship, and obscenity Projects & Engagement : Co-Investigator on the AHRC-funded Gossip and Nonsense in the French Renaissance (2012–2015), she collaborated on artistic projects such as Spinning Stories and Chinese Whispers . She has contributed to BBC programs like Radio 4’s Something Understood and Radio 3’s Free Thinking , discussing gossip’s cultural significance and early modern news. Publications : Her scholarship includes monographs like The Unbridled Tongue (2016) and Marguerite de Navarre: A Critical Companion (2022). Her articles span topics from Renaissance book history to the ethics of speech in Montaigne’s essays. Affiliations : She is part of King’s Centre for Early Modern Studies and contributes to research groups on textual representation and visual culture.
Dr. Olivia Cheung is a Lecturer in Politics at the Department of European & International Studies, King’s College London. She holds multiple affiliations including China Fellow at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Affiliate of the Lau China Institute, and Michael Moran Associate Editor for Government and Opposition . Her academic background includes an MPhil and DPhil (PhD) in Politics from the University of Oxford, where she was a Swire Scholar and Rhodes Scholar. Prior to her current position, she served as a Research Fellow at SOAS China Institute and Teaching Fellow at the University of Warwick, directing the MA in International Politics and East Asia. Her research focuses on Chinese politics and foreign policy, Xi Jinping Thought, comparative political leadership, international orders, and authoritarianism. Key projects explore domestic-political intersections in China’s foreign strategy and its global rise. She has contributed to prominent journals like China Quarterly , Third World Quarterly , and Pacific Affairs , with her work featured in The Economist , New York Times , and BBC documentaries. Dr. Cheung co-authored The Political Thought of Xi Jinping (Oxford UP, 2024), a Financial Times-recognized title, and Factional-Ideological Conflicts in Chinese Politics (Amsterdam UP, 2023). She is also working on a forthcoming book on China’s global strategy. Her awards include the Swire and Rhodes scholarships, reflecting her academic excellence. She actively advises media and participates in strategic dialogues (Tracks 1.5/2), and her research on China’s international strategy is part of the Geoeconomics and Technology Initiative at King’s College London.
Geraint Thomas is a historian of twentieth-century Britain, serving as a College Lecturer and Fellow at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge. His academic focus includes political culture, post-war reconstruction, and Celtic history. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and previously held positions at Oxford, Cambridge, and York. His research explores popular conservatism under the National Government (1930s) and post-war reconstruction politics (1916-1922). He also examines Celtic societies' integration within Anglo-world contexts. Teaching includes courses on modern British and Irish history, twentieth-century global history, and historical methodology. He supervises PhD candidates researching topics like post-war reconstruction legacies, Labour’s working class, and British Chinese communities' political activism. His key publications include *Popular Conservatism and the Culture of National Government in Inter-War Britain* (2020) and co-edited volumes like *Brave New World* (2011). Current research investigates reconstruction politics post-World War I. No scientific awards are explicitly mentioned, but his work is AHRC-funded for select students. He advises on British political history from 1870, specializing in the British state, political leadership, and Celtic politics. His academic network includes collaborations with institutions like the Institute of Historical Research.
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)United Kingdom
Professor Leigh K. Jenco holds the position of Professor of Political Theory at the Department of Government, London School of Economics and Political Science (on sabbatical during 2024/25). Her expertise spans Chinese Thought, Taiwan Studies, Political Philosophy, and Global Intellectual History. She previously taught at the National University of Singapore and has held visiting roles at Taiwan's Academia Sinica, National Taiwan University, and the University of Heidelberg. Education: B.A. from Bard College M.A. and Ph.D. from University of Chicago Her research explores late Ming neo-Confucian concepts of equality through literary theory and the 20th-century rediscovery of Chinese folksong compendia. She leads the £1.5M British Academy-funded 'Chinese Global Orders' project and was the principal investigator for the EU's 'East Asian Uses of the European Past' initiative. She served as associate editor of the American Political Science Review (2016–2020). Her publications include groundbreaking monographs like Changing Referents (Oxford UP, 2015) and Making the Political (Cambridge UP, 2010), which bridge political theory with Chinese intellectual history. Current projects focus on Ming dynasty poetics and cross-cultural knowledge transfer. Grants & Projects: Lead investigator for 'Chinese Global Orders' (£1.5M, British Academy) EU H2020 'East Asian Uses of the European Past' (€1.2M) She is fluent in Classical Chinese, Mandarin, and English, and her work emphasizes global comparative frameworks to challenge Eurocentric narratives. Her research often intersects historical texts with contemporary political debates, particularly around cultural borrowing and identity formation.
Dr. David Pattinson is Associate Professor of Chinese Studies in the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies at the University of Leeds, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures. His academic work bridges pre-modern Chinese history, literature, and environmental humanities, with a focus on cultural representations of nature and epistolary practices during the late imperial period. His research interests include: Bees and beekeeping in pre-modern Chinese culture Environmental history of pre-modern China Environmental Humanities & China Epistolary culture in late imperial China Ming loyalist literature and social networks Dr. Pattinson's recent publications explore the cultural and historical dimensions of beekeeping in China, including a seminal 2012 article in Agricultural History and a 2018 chapter in Animals through Chinese History . His work reveals how natural elements were represented and understood in Chinese society prior to modernity, with emerging interdisciplinary connections between history, literature, and environmental studies. He is actively involved in academic service, having served on the council of the British Association for Chinese Studies (BACS) and currently serving on the Executive Council of the Universities’ China Committee in London (UCCL). Dr. Pattinson supervises PhD students working on topics related to letters and upheaval in late imperial China, environmental humanities, and translation of pre-modern Chinese literature. He teaches Classical Chinese, pre-modern Chinese history and literature, and co-teaches the module Global Environmental Humanities , while also supervising undergraduate dissertations and postgraduate translation projects. His research group affiliations include: Chinese East Asian Studies Asia Pacific Studies History Literary studies Centre for World Literatures
Dr Jan Woudstra is an Honorary Professor at the University of Sheffield's School of Architecture and Landscape. With a PhD in Landscape Architecture from University College London and a background in landscape design, horticulture, and conservation, he has taught landscape architecture and history since 1995 and part-time at the Architectural Association School of Architecture from 1988-2005. Education: PhD, MA (Conservation), Dip Hort (Kew) Research Focus: History and theory of modern movement landscape architecture, planting design, hard landscape detailing, and international design trends Supervision: Claudia Leticia Martínez Velarde, Lei Gao, Kairan Li, Sang Jung Yoon, Vivienne Rose Parrott, Jijun Zhao, Manoochehr Salahi Moghadam, Hossein Donyavi, Sally O’Halloran Contact: j.woudstra@sheffield.ac.uk | Arts Tower, Floor 12, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN His research emphasizes landscape conservation, sustainability, and social equitability, with case studies on designers like Christopher Tunnard, Peter Shepheard, and Robert Marnock. He explores the tension between memory and innovation in historic landscapes. Recent publications address Buddhist pilgrimage sites, Scandinavian design, and historical planting techniques. Collaborations with Peter Blundell Jones and others analyze the interplay between architecture and landscape.
Professor Jill Atkins is a Professor of Accounting at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, with a distinguished career spanning accounting and finance. She also serves as a Visiting Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. As a leading academic in sustainable accounting, she has published over 50 journal articles and several influential books, establishing herself as a thought leader in the field of extinction accounting and biodiversity finance. Professor Atkins holds a BA Hons (First Class) in European Economics with a Licence ès Sciences Economiques from the University of Nantes, an MSc in Corporate and International Finance from the University of Durham, and a PhD in Finance from the University of Manchester. She is Series Editor for the de Gruyter Studies in Corporate Governance and has authored the leading international textbook "Corporate Governance and Accountability," now in its 5th edition. Professor Atkins' research focuses on three interconnected areas that have significantly contributed to sustainability accounting literature. Her work on private social and environmental reporting (SER) has evolved into "private integrated reporting," where institutional investor engagement processes increasingly integrate social, environmental, and financial issues. She has pioneered the development of "extinction accounting," creating a framework that has inspired extensive international academic research and influenced investment institutions' pollinator engagement strategies. Her third major contribution involves exploring the historical roots of environmental and ecological accounting, connecting accounting history with sustainability research across various historical periods from Victorian water pollution accounting to 18th century nature diaries. Analysis of Professor Atkins' recent publications reveals a clear trajectory toward increasingly specialized and urgent environmental accounting. Her work has evolved from general sustainability reporting to highly focused extinction accounting frameworks, with growing attention to historical precedents and cross-cultural applications. The publications demonstrate a sophisticated integration of critical accounting theory with practical applications in biodiversity conservation, showing how accounting mechanisms can serve as tools for species protection and environmental preservation. Her research increasingly incorporates interdisciplinary perspectives, drawing from ecology, history, art, and philosophy to develop comprehensive approaches to extinction governance. Professor Atkins has received significant recognition within the ESG investment industry and governance circles as a thought leader, regularly invited to give keynotes at international practitioner and academic events. She has led influential projects including a Nuffield Foundation-funded study on private SER and has developed innovative frameworks such as the extinction governance model that brings together accounting practices with governance mechanisms aimed at preventing species extinctions. Professor Atkins supervises doctoral candidates in extinction accounting, extinction governance, ESG investment, accounting for biodiversity, and corporate governance (qualitative research). She has established collaborative networks with leading practitioners in responsible investment, sustainability ratings, financial analysis, and reporting framework providers, including the Capitals Coalition, Moody's, Vigeo Eiris, AXA, and the WWF.
Ho Lok Victor Fan is a Research Professor in Film and Media Philosophy at King's College London's Department of Film Studies. He previously served as Assistant Professor at McGill University's Department of East Asian Studies (2010–2012), where he also chaired the Equity Subcommittee on Queer People. His expertise spans Chinese cinema (including Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Cantonese film histories), queer theory, Hollywood studies, and Buddhist film philosophy. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Education) through academic research and pedagogy. Education: PhD: Film Studies, Yale University (2010) MFA: Film & TV Production, USC (1999) Bachelor of Music: University of Rochester (1996) Research Interests: Fan explores comparative world cinemas, Chinese film theory, Sino-Hollywood co-productions, queer theories, and Buddhist media philosophy. His work interrogates spatiality in Chinese cinema and the intersections between film and Buddhist thought. Recent talks include lectures on 'Karma: Cinematic Technicity-Consciousness' and 'Extraterritorial Life in Hong Kong Cinema.' Notable Works: His 2000 thesis film The Well won international acclaim. His 2022 book Cinema Illuminating Reality redefines media philosophy through Buddhist frameworks. Recent articles analyze Hong Kong's media politics and labor narratives in hybrid film-anime forms. Awards: Third Prize, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (2000) Grants/Advising: Supervised 8 academic works (details omitted). Active in editorial and peer-review roles for film studies journals. Engaged in interdisciplinary projects bridging media philosophy and cultural studies. Labs/Teams: Collaborates with King's College's Queer@King's initiative and global film studies networks. Research focuses on East Asian cinematic histories and transnational media dynamics.
Professor Qing Cao is Professor, Director of Studies, and Director of the Centre for Comparative Modernities at Durham University's School of Modern Languages and Cultures. His research examines Chinese media, communication, and modern intellectual history through three interconnected strands: the role of media in China's modernization, the impact of media language on social perceptions, and mutual China-West representations shaping identity politics. His research interests encompass China's modern intellectual history, Chinese politics, mass media dynamics, Western reporting on China, Chinese linguistics, and translation studies. Current projects include a book on Chinese state media's construction of alternative modernity and editorial work for the Routledge Research Encyclopaedia on Chinese Studies. Previously funded by AHRC and British Academy, his work explores the discursive transformation of Chinese society. Professor Cao's publications demonstrate sustained focus on discursive constructions of modernity and identity across historical periods, with recent work examining late Qing intellectual transformations through linguistic analysis. His supervision includes PhD students researching Western media representations of China, diplomatic language, and gender discourses in Chinese newspapers.
Robert L. Chard is a Professor of Chinese Classics and Tutorial Fellow in Chinese at St Anne's College, University of Oxford. He is affiliated with the China Centre, a leading institution for East Asian studies. His research focuses on the cultural history of Confucianism, Confucian ritual studies (禮學), and the intersection of religion, politics, and military history in early China and premodern East Asia. He teaches courses on classical Chinese texts, historical methodologies, and Chinese religious traditions. His recent scholarship explores Confucian ritual authority in early China, the role of Confucian temples in Japanese domain (han) education systems during the Tokugawa period, and transnational intellectual exchanges between China and Japan. He has published extensively on topics such as ritual practices, temple symbolism, and the socio-political dimensions of Confucian learning. While no specific grants or awards are listed, his work demonstrates deep engagement with primary sources and cross-cultural analysis. He advises students in classical Chinese studies and oversees tutorial programs at St Anne's College.
