Professor Max Deeg is a leading scholar in Buddhist Studies at Cardiff University , holding a personal chair since 2009. With a career spanning institutions in Germany, Austria, and the UK, his research focuses on transcultural Buddhist history from India to East Asia, Chinese Buddhist travelogues , and interreligious encounters in medieval China. He has held visiting positions at universities in Japan, Nepal, the US, and Germany, and currently directs the Centre for the History of Religion in Asia (CHRA) . PhD from University of Würzburg (1990) Dr. phil. habil. in Religious Studies (1998) Full Professor at University of Vienna (2002-2006) His research explores Buddhist narratives as tools for constructing religious identity, foundation myths in trans-Himalayan contexts, and terminology evolution in Chinese Buddhist translations. Recent publications analyze Indian Buddhist monasticism through Chinese sources and religious concepts like xin (trust) across Buddhist, Manichaean, and Christian traditions. Awarded the KHK Visiting Research Fellowship (2016) and a DAAD Scholarship (1986-87) , Prof Deeg contributes to editorial boards of major journals. He supervises PhD students and teaches Buddhist Studies , Life of the Buddha , and Chinese Buddhist Texts .
Kuiyi Shen is Professor of Asian Art History, Theory, and Criticism at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), where he also serves as Vice Chair and Director of the PhD Program in the Department of Visual Arts. He is affiliated with the Division of Arts and Humanities and maintains an active research, teaching, and curatorial practice focused on Chinese and Japanese art, particularly modern and contemporary Chinese art and Sino-Japanese artistic exchanges. BA in Fine Arts, Shanghai Normal University MA and PhD in Art History, The Ohio State University Shen's research centers on the evolution of Chinese art in the modern era, with emphasis on ink art, unofficial art movements, and the interplay between tradition and modernity. His work explores how political, social, and transnational forces have shaped artistic expression in China, particularly during transformative periods such as the late Qing, Republican era, and post-Cultural Revolution decades. He is deeply engaged in the study of literati painting, Buddhist art, and mass visual culture, including posters and illustrated magazines. The 15 most recent publications and exhibition catalogs reflect a consistent focus on modern and contemporary Chinese ink art, unofficial art practices, and cross-cultural dialogues. Key themes include the reinvention of tradition, the role of Japan in modern Chinese art, and the emergence of independent artistic voices during politically repressive periods. His scholarly output spans academic monographs, co-edited volumes, and curatorial projects that bridge East and West. Notable scientific achievement: 2013 ICAS Book Prize in Humanities for Arts of Modern China Shen has advised numerous exhibition projects and served on international juries, including the Guggenheim Museum and the International Awards for Art Criticism. He has held academic positions at Ohio University, SUNY Buffalo, Rice University, and the University of Oregon before joining UCSD. He is Managing Editor of Brill’s Modern Asian Art and Visual Culture book series, underscoring his leadership in the global academic community. His teaching includes courses on Chinese and Japanese art, landscape painting, and contemporary art and mass culture. Shen has curated or consulted on over 20 major exhibitions worldwide, including A Century in Crisis (Guggenheim), Blooming in the Shadows (China Institute), and Light before Dawn (Asia Society), demonstrating his dual expertise in scholarship and curatorial practice.
Dr Christian Luczanits serves as the David L. Snellgrove Senior Lecturer in Tibetan and Buddhist Art at SOAS University of London, where he also acts as Department Recruitment, Admissions and Marketing Convenor. He previously held research positions at the University of Vienna, Austrian Academy of Sciences, and Lumbini International Research Institute, followed by visiting professorships at UC Berkeley , Free University Berlin, and Stanford University. Before academia, he was Senior Curator at the Rubin Museum of Art, New York. PhD in Tibetan and Buddhist Studies (University of Vienna) under the late Maurizio Taddei Specializes in early Buddhist art (1st-5th centuries) and early Tibetan Buddhist art (7th-15th centuries) Key research topics: Maitreya iconography , development of Mahāyāna and esoteric traditions, Tibetan artistic adaptation of Indian forms, and AHRC-funded monastery collections documentation in Mustang and Ladakh His recent publications analyze transcultural dynamics in Himalayan Buddhist heritage, including monastic collections, mandala symbolism, and artistic revival movements. He co-curated the Gandhara – The Buddhist Heritage of Pakistan exhibition at Bonn's Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. PhD supervisees include: Udomluck Hoontrakul (Political Economy of Marginal Polities) Qianhui Lin (Bodhisattva Conceptualization in Gandhāra) Agneta Niklasson (Esoteric Buddhism in Swat-Gilgit-Kashmir sculpture) Dr Lesley S Pullen (Angkorian Divine Adornment) Kulamitra David Zukas (Rock-Cut Buddhist Monasteries)
Mimi Yiengpruksawan is a Professor of History of Art at Yale University, affiliated with the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, the Council on East Asian Studies, the Council on Southeast Asian Studies, and the Program in Medieval Studies. She holds a Ph.D. from UCLA (1988) and joined Yale in 1990, achieving tenure in 1998. Her research focuses on Buddhist art in nonmodern Japan and Eurasian cultural exchanges, emphasizing cross-regional and interdisciplinary approaches to study contact-driven cultural formation. Her academic work includes two major manuscripts: Michinaga’s Peacocks: A Heian World in Transition (examining exogenous influences on Kyoto’s art) and Kyoto in the Twilight of the Dharma (focusing on eschatological patronage). She also explores early modern Japanese global interactions, analyzing visual production during the 'Nanban' period. Recent research bridges environmental history with art, linking the 1006 supernova and Buddhist prophecies to artistic developments. Key publications include analyses of Buddhist iconography, transnational art networks, and transcultural architecture. She is a leading figure in rethinking Heian Japan’s cultural interconnectedness, challenging isolationist narratives through material evidence and primary sources.
Dr. Jonathan Skinner is a Reader (equivalent to Associate Professor) in English and Comparative Literary Studies at the University of Warwick's Faculty of Arts, where he researches and teaches ecocriticism, contemporary poetry, and creative writing. He founded and edits the journal ecopoetics , exploring intersections between writing and ecology. His research examines: Ecopoetic theory and environmental literature Intersections of sound studies and ethnopoetics North American avant-garde poetry (Olson, Kyger, Eigner) Translation and transnational poetics Third Landscape theory and urban wildness He leads a research network facilitating cross-cultural poetry exchanges along avian migration routes. Skinner's publications predominantly explore ecocritical frameworks through poetry analysis, with recent work examining climate change poetics, multispecies communication, and Anthropocene aesthetics. His scholarship connects literary studies with environmental science, acoustics, and landscape theory. He currently supervises five PhD students researching multispecies poetics and environmental literature through AHRC-funded projects, and has successfully supervised two doctoral candidates studying deindustrialization and extractive urbanism. Previously supervised MA theses span modernist poetry, ecocriticism, and creative writing.
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.
University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUnited States
Makoto Harris Takao is an Assistant Professor of Musicology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with an affiliated appointment in East Asian Languages and Cultures. He holds a joint PhD in History and Musicology from the University of Western Australia and has held postdoctoral positions at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and the Freie Universität Berlin. His research bridges Japanese religious history, global music historiography, and the history of emotions, focusing on transcultural dynamics in early modern Japan and contemporary East Asia. Education: B.A. (Japanese Studies), B.A. Hons (Asian Studies), and Ph.D. (History and Musicology) from the University of Western Australia. Research interests include Kirishitan (Japanese Christian) transculturation, global baroque music, and the interplay between music and colonial/postcolonial politics. His current book projects explore 16th-century Japanese Christian soundscapes and the Okinawan singer Amuro Namie’s entanglement with postcolonial pop politics. He also performs on the viola da gamba in revival projects of early modern Japanese-Christian music. Awards include the Bruce Mansfield Prize in Religious History and an honorable mention from UIUC’s Humanities Research Institute. He serves on the American Musicological Society’s Education Committee and the editorial board of Early Music . Teaching focuses on global music history, the Baroque era, and Japanese popular music. Courses include Global Baroque: Music, Power, and the ‘European’ Tradition and History of Japanese Popular Music .
Mallica Kumbera Landrus serves as Associate Professor of Indian Art at the University of Oxford while holding dual leadership roles as Keeper of Eastern Art and Senior Curator of Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology. Her career uniquely integrates academic scholarship with museum curation, focusing on South Asian visual and material culture across five millennia of Asian artistic development. Her research centers on intersections of Indian art, architecture, religion, politics, and socio-economics, with particular expertise in cultural translation phenomena. She examines colonial-era built environments created by Portuguese powers in Goa and hybrid transnational cultures emerging from diasporic communities, frequently utilizing the Ashmolean's extensive collections for empirical analysis. Publication trends reveal consistent thematic focus on Goan architectural history under Portuguese rule, modern Indian art movements (especially Bengal School modernism), and gender representation in visual culture. Her scholarly output bridges art historical methodology with postcolonial theory, emphasizing religious conversion dynamics, diasporic identity formation, and imperial material legacies across 12 peer-reviewed works from 2003-2015. Landrus teaches specialized courses including 'Trade and Exchange in Modern South Asia' (MPhil/MSc) and 'Encountering South Asian Sculpture' (BA), supervising graduate research that leverages Oxford's collections. Professional engagements include Fellowship at St Cross College, Trustee position with the Charles Wallace India Trust, and editorial board membership for Universität Bonn's Studies in Asian Art and Culture Series.
University of California, Los AngelesUnited States
Nile Green is the Ibn Khaldun Endowed Chair in World History at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he served as founding director of the UCLA Program on Central Asia (2008-2016). His research bridges global history and Islamic studies, focusing on Muslim networks across India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Central Asia, and the Indian Ocean world. Specializes in inter-Asia and Indian Ocean studies Explores Sufism, Persian & Urdu travel writing, and Islamic print history Active on global Muslim interactions with non-Muslim societies His recent articles examine topics spanning Islamicate linguistics , transcultural art history , and historiographical methods , particularly in India, Afghanistan, and China. Earlier works established connections between colonial infrastructure and Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj), while his 2016 book The Love of Strangers documented early Middle Eastern students in Europe. Scientific awards include: Guggenheim Fellowship Luce/ACLS Fellow in Religion, Journalism & International Affairs Albert Hourani Book Award (MESA) Ananda K. Coomaraswamy Book Award (AAS) Bentley Book Prize (World History Association) Sir George Staunton Prize (Royal Asiatic Society)
Jim Rheingans is a Professor at the University of Vienna, affiliated with the Institute for South Asia, Tibetan, and Buddhist Studies. His research focuses on religious, cultural, and intellectual history of the Tibetan cultural sphere (12th–17th centuries), Tibetan and Indo-Tibetan literature, transcultural dimensions of narrative texts, and the reception of Tibetan Buddhism in Europe. Contact: jim.rheingans@univie.ac.at | +43-1-4277-43555 Research: Medieval Tibetan meditation traditions, literary analysis of narrative/poetic texts, cross-cultural transmission of Buddhist ideas. Teaching: Courses include Yoga, Mantra, and Tantra in Global Contexts , Tibetan History and Stories , and advanced seminars on Tibetan Buddhist texts.
Raji C. Steineck is a Professor of Japanese Philology at the University of Zurich and Vice Dean of Research for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. He also holds visiting professorships at Yamaguchi University’s Research Institute for Time Studies and has been actively involved in academic leadership as President of the International Society for the Study of Time (ISST) and board member of the Swiss Asia Society (SAG) and the Center for Medieval Studies Zurich. Education: M.A. in Japanese Studies (1993), Dr. phil. in Philosophy (1999), and venia legendi in Japanology (2006) from Bonn University. His research spans Japanese philosophy , medieval mythologies , symbolic forms in Dōgen , and time in medieval culture . He has pioneered a transcultural theory of symbolic forms inspired by Cassirer, applied to Japanese studies, and led collaborations on topics like modern Japanese philosophy, authorship in East Asian literature, and Buddhist text analysis. His 2014 monograph Symbolische Form und Funktion critically engages with Cassirer’s work, while a monograph on ancient Japanese mythologies is in press. Recent publications focus on Dōgen’s temporal philosophy , Marxist critique , and bioethical debates in Japan. He has organized interdisciplinary research on Japanese mummified remains (2021) and contributed to critical theory. His awards include the ERC Advanced Grant and fellowships from DAAD, MEXT, Humboldt Foundation, and JSPS. Scientific Awards: ERC Advanced Grant (Project ‘Time in Medieval Japan’) DAAD Scholarship MEXT Scholarship (Japanese Ministry of Education) Humboldt Foundation Fellowship JSPS Fellowship As a mentor for the Swiss Study Foundation and co-editor of Welten Ostasiens and Asiatische Studien/Études Asiatiques , he fosters academic exchange. His teaching at Zurich includes courses on Japanese intellectual history, theoretical philosophy, and classical Japanese literature.
Jin Siyan is a Professor of Chinese Literature in the Department of Oriental Studies at the University of Artois, France, where she has been teaching since 2006. She serves as co-director of the research axis 'Études transculturelles: Occident et Orient: l'imaginaire de l'autre, Identité, réception et critique' and is a full member of the 'Textes et cultures' Research Center. Her academic career spans multiple prestigious institutions across France and China. Her educational background includes: Doctorat ès Lettres Modernes from Université de Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV) in 1992 Habilitation to Direct Research in Literature and Languages from Jean Moulin University Lyon 3 in 2005 Maîtrise de langue et littérature françaises from Université de Pékin in 1984 Licence ès lettres from Université de Pékin (1978-1982) Jin Siyan's research focuses on transcultural studies between China and the West, with particular emphasis on the three historical encounters between Chinese and Western civilizations. Her work explores the modern history of Chinese literary theory, examining subjectivity in contemporary Chinese writing, Chinese feminine writing, and the complex relationship between language consciousness and identity. She has conducted groundbreaking research on the history of literary reception between China and France, and has pioneered studies on cultural transfers, particularly the translation of Buddhist sacred texts in 5th century China and its impact on the formation of classical Chinese language and poetics. Her work on the Wenxin Diaolong (The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons) by Liu Xie represents a major contribution to understanding classical Chinese literary theory. Her extensive publication record includes 14 monographs (7 in Chinese, 7 in French), 21 edited volumes, 10 literary works, 19 translations, and over 90 scholarly articles. Her recent research focuses on transcultural methodology, Buddhist text translation, and the relationship between Chinese poetics and Western literary theory. She has supervised 14 doctoral theses and 4 cotutelle theses covering topics in literary criticism, reception theory, and Chinese women's literature. As an active academic, Jin Siyan has participated in 168 scientific events (including 101 international conferences, 25 study days, and 42 doctoral seminars), organizing 30 of these events herself. She co-directs the journal 'Dialogue Transculturel' and the 'Espace transculturel' book series, fostering scholarly exchange between Chinese and Western academic communities.
Brandon Bailey Dotson serves as Professor and Thomas P. McKenna Chair of Buddhist Studies at Georgetown University, where he holds dual administrative roles as Director of Graduate Studies and Director of Intellectual Formation within the Department of Theology and Religious Studies (College of Arts and Sciences). His academic career spans appointments at Oxford, SOAS, UCSB, and Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, complemented by research stays in China and Tibet. His educational foundation includes: D.Phil from the University of Oxford M.Phil from the University of Oxford B.A. from Wesleyan University Dotson's research centers on ritual systems, narrative traditions, and cosmological frameworks in the Tibetan cultural sphere, with specialized focus on Buddhist-non-Buddhist interactions during the Tibetan Empire (7th-9th centuries CE). He pioneers the analysis of Tibetan Dunhuang manuscripts to reconstruct historical and religious practices, establishing him as a leading scholar in empirical Tibetan studies beyond theoretical frameworks. His publication portfolio reveals consistent interdisciplinary rigor across religious history, philology, and cultural anthropology. Works like the Dunhuang sutra analysis and Silk Road divination studies demonstrate methodological innovation in tracing transcultural exchanges, while his translation of the Old Tibetan Annals provides foundational resources for empire-era scholarship. These contributions collectively advance understanding of ritual-kingship dynamics across Inner Asia. As Director of Graduate Studies, Dotson oversees academic formation and mentorship within theology programs. His research infrastructure includes international collaborations enabling fieldwork in China and Tibet, though specific grant mechanisms remain unmentioned in source materials.
Professor Ann Heirman is a distinguished scholar of Buddhist studies at Ghent University (Belgium), where she serves as Professor of Classical and Buddhist Chinese within the Department of Languages and Cultures at the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy. She currently holds multiple leadership positions including Head of the Department of Languages and Cultures (since 2018), Head of the Examination Commissions of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy (since 2012), and Head of the Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies, an international research center focusing on India and China. Previously, she served as program director of Oriental Languages and Cultures from 2006 to 2016. Her research expertise centers on Chinese Buddhist monasticism, particularly the development and transmission of disciplinary rules (vinaya) from India to East Asia. She has published extensively on Buddhist nuns, monastic regulations, and the material culture of Buddhist monasteries, with special attention to bodily practices and purity regulations. Her major publications include Rules for Nuns according to the Dharmaguptakavinaya (2002), The Spread of Buddhism (2007), A Pure Mind in a Clean Body (2012, co-authored with Mathieu Torck), and Buddhist Encounters and Identities Across East Asia (2018). Her most recent work examines Buddhist perspectives on animals, as seen in her 2024 article about oxen in Daoxuan's vinaya commentaries. Her current research portfolio includes numerous projects extending through 2028, focusing on Buddhist initiation rituals, vinaya texts from Dunhuang, Buddhist material culture, and the evolution of Buddhist practices in medieval China. Her scholarly approach combines textual analysis with attention to material culture and historical context, revealing how Buddhist monastic practices were adapted as they traveled across Asia. Professor Heirman has supervised numerous PhD students including Xiaoxiao Xu, Anna Sokolova, Jianhong Zeng, Laura Lettere, Ang Zou, Tzu-Lung Chiu, Claire Maes, and Julia Schneider. Her collaborative work extends across international boundaries, reflecting the transnational nature of Buddhist studies. As head of the Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies, she leads a vibrant research community dedicated to advancing our understanding of Buddhist traditions across Asia, with particular emphasis on the historical and cultural connections between India and China. Her administrative leadership has strengthened Ghent University's position as a significant center for Buddhist studies in Europe.
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States
Makoto Harris Takao is an Assistant Professor of Musicology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, specializing in the intersection of cultural history, religious studies, musicology, and the history of emotions. His research focuses on mapping Japan's international relations from the 16th century to the present day, particularly through the lens of music and transculturation. Current book project: The Clef and the Cross: Music and Kirishitan Transculturation in Sixteenth-Century Japan Research pillar: Music Across Borders His work reconstructs how Japanese Christian communities (Kirishitan) interpreted Catholic doctrine through existing performing traditions and Buddhist frameworks, analyzing sound, music, and movement practices to demonstrate transcultural adaptation.
