As a network of leading universities linking the Americas, Asia, and Australasia, APRU (the Association of Pacific Rim Universities) brings together thought leaders, researchers, and policy-makers to exchange ideas and collaborate on practical solutions to the challenges of the 21st century.
We leverage our members’ collective education and research capabilities into the international public policy process. In the post-pandemic era, our strategic priorities focus on:
1. providing a neutral platform for high-level policy dialogue;
2. exploring innovative solutions for a sustainable future; and
3. supporting diversity, inclusion, and minorities.
APRU’s primary activities support these strategic priorities, focusing on critical areas such as disaster risk reduction, women in leadership, indigenous knowledge, virtual student exchange, e-sports, population aging, global health, sustainable cities, artificial intelligence, waste management, and more.
200,000+
Committee
Leaders
Secretariat
Leaders
University of California, Irvine
The Australian National University
University of Science and Technology of China
The Chinese University of Hong Kong;
Chair, APRU
Professor Rocky S. Tuan assumed office as the eighth Vice-Chancellor and President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong on 1 January 2018. He is concurrently Lee Quo Wei and Lee Yick Hoi Lun Professor of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at the University. Prior to joining CUHK in 2016 as a distinguished visiting professor and the founding director of the Institute for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, he held several appointments at the University of Pittsburgh, including distinguished professor of orthopaedic surgery and director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Engineering in the School of Medicine. He is also founding director of the Center for Military Medicine Research and Associate Director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Professor Tuan is an internationally renowned biomedical scientist specializing in musculoskeletal biology and tissue regeneration, whose work covers both basic science and engineering, as well as translational and clinical applications. His significant contributions have been recognized by the Hap Paul Award of the International Society of Technologies in Arthroplasty in 1997, the Marshall Urist Award for Excellence in Tissue Regeneration Research of the Orthopaedic Research Society in 2004, the Carnegie Science Award in Life Sciences, and the Clemson Award of the Society for Biomaterials in 2016. In 2017, Professor Tuan was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) for his accomplishments in innovation and translational research that bring significant impact on society.
A globally recognised leader in world-class universities for more than a decade, Dawn Freshwater became the University's first female Vice-Chancellor in March 2020, after serving as the University of Western Australia's Vice-Chancellor and Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Registrar for six years (2014-2020).
Since taking up the role of Vice-Chancellor at the University of Auckland, Professor Freshwater has led the development of the University’s ambitious Vision 2030 and Strategic Plan 2025, Taumata Teitei, which has an emphasis on sustainable eco-systems, just and cultured societies, health and well-being and trusted technology.
Professor Freshwater was the first female Chair of the G08 Research Intensive Universities in Australia, and Deputy Chair (2018-2020) having previously been a Director. She is Chair of Universities New Zealand Research Committee, past Chair of the Partnership Board of the World University Network (WUN), Deputy Chair and Board Director of Research Australia, and the APRU Steering Committee. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women (CEW) and Global Women New Zealand.
Professor Freshwater was awarded her PhD at the University of Nottingham (1998) contributing to the fields of Public Health (specifically Mental Health and Forensic Mental Health) and in researching Leadership practices which have won her the highest honour in her field - the Fellowship of the Royal College of Nursing (FRCN). She was recently elected as Member Academia Europea (MAE) and as Fellow Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (FRCSI).
A strong advocate of industry engagement and of the role of higher education in supporting trade agreements, Professor Freshwater maintains strong professional ties with key figures in education and industry in Asia, Europe and the United States.
As UCLA’s chief executive officer, Gene D. Block oversees all aspects of the campus’ three-part mission of education, research and service.
A champion of public universities, Chancellor Block serves on several leading national associations and advisory boards, including as chair of the council of presidents of the Universities Research Association, an international consortium of 86 leading research universities.
He has called for UCLA to deepen its engagement with Los Angeles, a city that offers a microcosm of the global community, and to increase access for students from underrepresented populations. An advocate of interdisciplinary scholarship, he emphasizes broad-based, campus-wide planning.
Chancellor Block holds UCLA faculty appointments in psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences in the David Geffen School of Medicine and in physiological science in the College of Letters and Science. A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he specializes in circadian biology, which deals with the functioning of 24-hour rhythms in higher organisms (See Academic Interests).
Dr. Block became chancellor of UCLA on August 1, 2007. Previously, he served as vice president and provost of the University of Virginia, where he held the Alumni Council Thomas Jefferson Professorship in Biology and directed the National Science Foundation’s Science and Technology Center for Biological Timing. He also headed an NIH graduate training program aimed at increasing the number of scientists from underrepresented groups.
Chancellor Block joined the faculty of the University of Virginia in 1978. He served as vice provost for research from 1993 to 1998 and then as vice president for research and public service until his appointment as vice president and provost in 2001. In 1998, he received the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Outstanding Public Service Award for his work with Virginia’s business community.
A native of Monticello, New York, Chancellor Block holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Stanford University and a master’s and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Oregon. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford, studying with Colin Pittendrigh, “the father of biological timing,” and Donald Kennedy, who later served as president of Stanford.
The inventor of a number of devices, Chancellor Block holds a patent for a non-contact respiratory monitor for the prevention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and he is an avid collector of vacuum-tube radios.
Chancellor Block and his wife, Carol, have two children.
Professor at the Universidad de Chile. She holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, with postdoctoral studies at the University of Southern California, USA.
She has served as Director of Graduate Studies (2006-2010), Provost (2010-2014) and Vice chancellor of Academic Affairs at the Universidad de Chile (2014-2022). In these roles, she has promoted higher education policies for more equality and inclusion. Also, she is a corresponding member of the Academia Chilena de Ciencias.
In June 2022, she took office as the first ever female Rector of the Universidad de Chile in 180 years.
Professor Ding Kuiling has been the President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University since February 2023. Previously, as SJTU's Executive Vice President for five years, he was responsible for overseeing the university's academic affairs.
Prior to joining SJTU, Professor Ding held a number of senior positions in academia, including the role of Director at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry (SIOC), and the role of Vice President at Shangha iTech University.
As a chemist and an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, he has received numerous prestigious awards, including the National Natural Science Award (Second Class), the Eli Lilly Scientific Excellence Award, the Yoshida Prize, and the Humboldt Prize. In addition, he serves as an editor of more than ten international chemistry journals.
Professor Ding holds a PhD in Chemistry from Nanjing University. His research interests include asymmetric catalysis and green chemistry based on organometallics. Notably, he pioneered and successfully implemented the combinatorial approach in the discovery of novel chiral catalyst systems. Furthermore, he is credited with developing the self-supporting strategy for chiral catalyst immobilization.
As the twelfth president of USC, President Carol Folt has defined an arc of purpose for the University of Southern California that has set a visionary course for innovation, creativity, and sustainability across the institution. An accomplished academic leader and life scientist who always puts students first, President Folt has elevated diversity, equity and inclusion, access, and affordability – creating spaces for all students to feel that they belong.
Before coming to USC, President Folt previously served as chancellor of UNC Chapel Hill, held several leadership appointments at Dartmouth, and has held several faculty appointments in marine and environmental biology, civil and environmental engineering, and preventive medicine.
As a scientist, President Folt’s pioneering research on the effects of dietary mercury and arsenic on human and ecosystem health led to numerous national and global policy changes and consumption advisories.
President Folt earned her bachelor’s degree in aquatic biology and a master’s degree in biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and her doctorate in ecology from the University of California, Davis.
David Garza received a B.Sc. in Computer Science and Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Colorado State University.
He has a trajectory of more than 30 years with Tecnológico de Monterrey where he has served in different academic and leadership positions such as Director of Graduate Programs, Dean of Division, Dean of the School of Engineering (Monterrey campus), Director of Campus (San Luis Potosí campus), Regional Rector –responsible of the academic operations of Monterrey Campus (main campus)-, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education -he led key academic initiatives related to improving the quality of students, faculty and the development of Tec21 Educational Model- and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. He is Rector of Tecnológico de Monterrey since July 1st, 2017, a private nonprofit comprehensive university with 26 campuses in México and nearly 90,000 students (55,500 undergraduate, 8,000 graduate and 26,000 senior high school). It is international recognized for its strong reputation among employers and its entrepreneurial orientation, and it is consistently ranked among the Top universities in Latin America.
Dr. Garza has been a professor/researcher at the Informatics Research Center collaborating with academic departments, and teaching courses in the Electronic and Information Technologies related majors. He has participated as professor in the Masters and Ph.D. programs. As a researcher, he has participated in the definition and development of projects financed by highly prestigious institutions both national and international, such as: United States Agency for International Development, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, Advanced Research Projects Agency, European Commission and CONACYT. Some of his research projects have been in collaboration with international institutions such as: Virginia Tech, Southwest Research Institute and Colorado State University. As a faculty member he has been author of multiple journal/conference and book articles, and worked as consultant in different industry projects. He has been recipient, twice, of the Distinguished Faculty Award.
David Garza has been Chair of the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC), an initiative created with the support of ASEE and International Federation of Engineering Education Societies. He received an Honoris Causa Doctorate from Universidad Americana Nicaragua in 2012. He is a member of professional societies and organizations such as: ASEE, IEEE, ACM, Sigma Xi, and Phi Kappa Phi. He has served in different conference committees, and state, national and international councils from different industry and academic organizations and has been invited speaker/panelist in international events in more than 15 different countries. He is married with Claudia García Valadez and has four children: Claudia Marcela, Alejandro Daniel, Andrés Fernando and Sara Elisa.
President Kohei Itoh graduated from Keio University and received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He joined Keio University as a faculty member in 1995 and became a full professor in 2007. He served as Dean of Faculty and Graduate School of Science and Technology of Keio University between 2017 and 2019, and as the Chair of Keio AI and Advanced Programming Consortium between 2018 and 2021. His main focus of research has been quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum physics, which led to more than 330 journal publications. He is one of 210 Council Members of the Science Council of Japan representing approximately 870,000 scholars in the country to propose and advise academic and scientific policies in Japan, and has served on numerous executive boards including the Physical Society of Japan and the Japan Society of Applied Physics. He leads a variety of quantum information projects in Japan as the Program Director of Quantum Information Technology in the MEXT Quantum Leap Flagship Program for researchers representing the field, and as the Chairperson for the expert panel on Quantum Technology Innovation for the government of Japan. He is a recipient of the Japan IBM Prize (2006) and the JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) Prize (2009). He is also a founder of the IBM Quantum Computer Network Hub at Keio University.
Joy Johnson is president and vice-chancellor of Simon Fraser University, and professor in its Faculty of Health Sciences.
As president, Joy is committed to building community partnerships; enhancing student learning experiences; supporting Indigenous reconciliation; and advancing equity, diversity and inclusion across the university.
Prior to her appointment as president, Joy served as SFU’s vice-president, research and international, and oversaw the evolution of cutting-edge research, innovation, and international engagement across eight faculties.
Under her leadership, SFU’s achieved the fastest growth of any Canadian university research income of any university in Canada, with a focus on mobilizing knowledge to enhance the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of its communities.
Prior to SFU, Joy had a distinguished career in academics and research. She is an elected Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and has co-authored more than 180 peer-reviewed articles.
Joy currently serves on the Universities Canada Board of Directors.
Dr. Honglim Ryu is the 28th President of Seoul National University, effective February 1, 2023. In 1995, he became an assistant professor in Department of Political Science and International Relations of SNU. Since then he dedicated himself to researching and teaching more than 25 years. During his career at SNU, he served numerous leadership positions including Dean of College of Social Sciences in 2020-2022, Chair of Department of Political Science and Internation Relations, Editor-in-Chief of SNU newspaper[Daehakshinmoon], Director of Social Sciences Library of SNU, and President of Korean Society for Political Thought.
Professor Tan Eng Chye is a passionate and award-winning educator. He was a pioneer architect of the current academic system in NUS, and has seeded many initiatives such as the Special Programme in Science, University Scholars Programme, University Town Residential College Programme, Grade-free Year, and Technology-enhanced Education.
Professor Tan holds a First Class Honours Degree in Mathematics from the National University of Singapore and PhD from Yale University.
Professor Tan is a member of the Singapore’s Future Economy Council. He is on the boards of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR); National Research Foundation; and NUS High School of Mathematics and Sciences. He is the Chair of Universitas 21, a leading global network of 27 research-intensive universities.
Professor Tan received the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 2014 for his outstanding contributions to education. He was awarded the Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal, which honours exceptional alumni in the areas of scholarship, teaching, academic administration and public service, by Yale University in 2018. Professor Tan was conferred an Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Southampton in 2018 in recognition of his achievements as “an innovative and exceptional teacher, and then as a distinguished and respected leader in academia”.
The University of Queensland
Professor Deborah Terry AO is Vice-Chancellor and President of The University of Queensland (UQ). Prior to commencing this role in August 2020, she served as Vice-Chancellor of Curtin University, in Western Australia (from February 2014 to July 2020).
Professor Terry was made an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AO) in June 2015, in recognition of her distinguished service to education in the tertiary sector.
She is a former Chair of the Board of Universities Australia; a Fellow and past President of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia; an appointed member of the Australian Research Council Advisory Council; and serves on the Australia and New Zealand School of Government Board and Australia’s Academic and Research Network Board (AARNET).
Having grown up in Perth and Canberra, Professor Terry completed her PhD in Social Psychology at the Australian National University in Canberra. From there, she commenced her distinguished career at UQ in 1990, initially as an internationally recognised scholar in psychology. During her 24 years at UQ, Professor Terry progressed through a number of senior leadership roles to become Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, before leaving for her role as Vice-Chancellor of Curtin University in early 2014.
The University of Hong Kong
Professor Xiang Zhang is currently the President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong (HKU).
Prior to joining HKU in July 2018, he was the inaugural Ernest S. Kuh Endowed Chair Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Director of the Nano-scale Science and Engineering Center (SINAM). He has also served as the Director of Materials Science Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).
Professor Zhang is an elected member of the US National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and of Academia Sinica, a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), the Optical Society of America (OSA), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the International Society of Optical Engineering (SPIE).
Professor Zhang received his PhD from UC Berkeley (1996), MS from the University of Minnesota and MS/BS from Nanjing University, China. He was an assistant professor at Pennsylvania State University (1996-1999), and associate professor and full professor at UCLA (1999-2004) prior to joining Berkeley’s faculty in 2004.
Professor Zhang’s current research focuses on materials physics, metamaterials and nano-photonics. He has published over 340 journal papers including 70 publications in Science and Nature family series. He has given over 330 Keynote, Plenary and Invited talks at international conferences and institutions. He was a Co-Chair of the NSF Nano-scale Science and Engineering Annual Grantee Conferences in 2004 and 2005, and has served as Chair of the Academic Advisory Board for the Research Center for Applied Science (RCAS), Academia Sinica.
In 2008, Professor Zhang’s research was selected by Time Magazine as one of the “Top Ten Scientific Discoveries of the Year” and “50 Best Inventions of the Year”,Discover Magazine‘s “Top 100 Science Stories” in 2007, and R&D Magazine‘s top 25 Most Innovative Products of 2006. His research has been frequently featured in international media, including the BBC, CNN, ABC, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal. More recently, his research team’s work on “Casimir effect” at UC Berkeley was selected as one of the Top 10 Breakthroughs for 2019 by Physics World.
Professor Zhang is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award (1997), the SME Dell K. Allen Outstanding Young Engineer Award (1998) and the ONR Young Investigator Award (1999). He was awarded the Chancellor’s Professorship by UC Berkeley (2004-2009), named Rohsenow Lecturer at MIT (2009) and William Reynolds Lecturer at Stanford (2012), and in 2017, chosen for the Pearsall Distinguished Lecture at Duke, the Hall Engineering Lecture at Vanderbilt, and the Towers Distinguished Lecture at Michigan Tech. In 2011, he was awarded the Fred Kavli Distinguished Lectureship by the Materials Research Society (MRS), the Miller Professorship by UC Berkeley, and named Distinguished Visiting Scientist (DVS) by the University of Toronto. He was awarded the Fitzroy Medal in 2014, the Charles Russ Richards Memorial Award in 2015, the Max Born Award from the Optical Society of America in 2016, the Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics in 2016, the Excellence Award in Scientific Leadership in 2016, and the A. C. Eringen Medal from the Society of Engineering Science in 2017.
Prof. Schneider was elected as APRU’s 5th Chief Executive and took up the role from Janurary 2023. A native of Germany, Prof. Schneider studied at the University of Zurich, the University of Basel and the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris. He earned his degrees (Lizentiat 1990; Dr. phil. 1996; Habilitation 1999), all in Egyptology, from the University of Basel. Throughout his career, he has held academic and administrative positions in four global regions – North America; Asia; Europe; the Middle East. He was a Lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Zurich (2000-3), a Junior Research Professor of the Swiss National Science Foundation at the University of Basel (2001-5), Professor and inaugural holder of the Chair in Egyptology at Swansea University, Wales (2005-7), before joining the University of British Columbia. He held Visiting Professorships at the University of Vienna (1999), the University of Heidelberg (2003-4) and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2018). He was a Visiting Scholar at New York University (2006), the University of California, Berkeley (2012), the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing (2016) and Shanghai University (2018, International Masters Program). And from 2018-20, Prof. Schneider served the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in Shenzhen, China’s fastest-rising new STEM university, as Associate Vice President (International), spearheading its internationalization efforts. Recently, Prof. Schneider has founded PALAC – a new consortium of liberal arts colleges focused on experimental learning in the liberal arts across multiple economies in Asia and North America.
In addition to his Executive Directorship of the PALAC consortium and the Associate Vice President position at SUSTech (in which functions he has engaged with a large number of APRU member institutions), Prof. Schneider has acquired significant leadership experience at the departmental level (Acting Department Chair; Director of Graduate Studies; Chair of Egyptology) and university level (Senator on the UBC Senate, 2014-8). He oversaw specific strategic projects and initiatives as Special Advisor to the Vice-Provost and Dean, Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies, at UBC (2015-7) and as Advisor to the President at Quest University Canada (2016-17).
Prof. Schneider has acquired a broad knowledge of the spectrum of disciplines represented by APRU member institutions, as a humanities scholar who has also worked for a STEM research university. He has been a consultant, adjudicator and reviewer for universities, funding agencies and publishers in North America, China, Europe, Israel, and Australia, as well as an executive editor of academic periodicals. His own scholarship (160 publications, among which 7 authored books and 7 edited books) focuses on cultural and linguistic interconnections in the Near East, the environmental history of Egypt, and the history of the humanities in Nazi Germany.
Email: [email protected]
Albert Chan joined APRU in September 2023, as Director of Administration and Finance.
With extensive experience in the field of financial accounting and corporate governance, Albert started his career as an external auditor in Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu of Hong Kong. He then served in commercial companies with operations ranging from telecommunications and engineering services, trading and retail, as well as construction and fitting out businesses.
Albert holds a B.A. in Accountancy from The City University of Hong Kong and has a Master of Business Administration from the Warwick Business School of University of Warwick, United Kingdom.
He is a fellow member of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, United Kingdom.
Email: [email protected]
University of California, Irvine
Innovation and Global Engagement,
Chulalongkorn University
Far Eastern Federal University
Fudan University
Harbin Institute of Technology
Keio University
Korea University
Kyushu University
Monash University
Nagoya University
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
National Taiwan University
Osaka University
Peking University
POSTECH
Pusan National University
Seoul National University
International Affairs,
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Simon Fraser University
Tecnológico de Monterrey
Vice-President (External Engagement),
The University of Adelaide
The University of Auckland
The University of British Columbia
The University of Hong Kong
The University of Melbourne
The University of Queensland
The University of Sydney
Tongji University
Tsinghua University
UC Davis
UC Riverside
UC San Diego
UC Santa Cruz
Global Engagement,
UCLA
Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Universitas Indonesia
Universidad de Chile
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
University of Science and Technology of China
University of the Philippines
Office of Global Affairs,
University of Washington
UNSW Sydney
Waseda University
Xi’an Jiaotong University
Yonsei University
Zhejiang University
Prof. Schneider was elected as APRU’s 5th Chief Executive and took up the role from January 2023. A native of Germany, Prof. Schneider studied at the University of Zurich, the University of Basel and the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris. He earned his degrees (Lizentiat 1990; Dr. phil. 1996; Habilitation 1999), all in Egyptology, from the University of Basel. Throughout his career, he has held academic and administrative positions in four global regions – North America; Asia; Europe; the Middle East. He was a Lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Zurich (2000-3), a Junior Research Professor of the Swiss National Science Foundation at the University of Basel (2001-5), Professor and inaugural holder of the Chair in Egyptology at Swansea University, Wales (2005-7), before joining the University of British Columbia. He held Visiting Professorships at the University of Vienna (1999), the University of Heidelberg (2003-4) and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2018). He was a Visiting Scholar at New York University (2006), the University of California, Berkeley (2012), the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing (2016) and Shanghai University (2018, International Masters Program). And from 2018-20, Prof. Schneider served the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in Shenzhen, China’s fastest-rising new STEM university, as Associate Vice President (International), spearheading its internationalization efforts. Recently, Prof. Schneider has founded PALAC – a new consortium of liberal arts colleges focused on experimental learning in the liberal arts across multiple economies in Asia and North America.
In addition to his Executive Directorship of the PALAC consortium and the Associate Vice President position at SUSTech (in which functions he has engaged with a large number of APRU member institutions), Prof. Schneider has acquired significant leadership experience at the departmental level (Acting Department Chair; Director of Graduate Studies; Chair of Egyptology) and university level (Senator on the UBC Senate, 2014-8). He oversaw specific strategic projects and initiatives as Special Advisor to the Vice-Provost and Dean, Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies, at UBC (2015-7) and as Advisor to the President at Quest University Canada (2016-17).
Prof. Schneider has acquired a broad knowledge of the spectrum of disciplines represented by APRU member institutions, as a humanities scholar who has also worked for a STEM research university. He has been a consultant, adjudicator and reviewer for universities, funding agencies and publishers in North America, China, Europe, Israel, and Australia, as well as an executive editor of academic periodicals. His own scholarship (160 publications, among which 7 authored books and 7 edited books) focuses on cultural and linguistic interconnections in the Near East, the environmental history of Egypt, and the history of the humanities in Nazi Germany.
Email: [email protected]
Albert Chan joined APRU in September 2023, as Director of Administration and Finance.
With extensive experience in the field of financial accounting and corporate governance, Albert started his career as an external auditor in Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu of Hong Kong. He then served in commercial companies with operations ranging from telecommunications and engineering services, trading and retail, as well as construction and fitting out businesses.
Albert holds a B.A. in Accountancy from The City University of Hong Kong and has a Master of Business Administration from the Warwick Business School of University of Warwick, United Kingdom.
He is a fellow member of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, United Kingdom.
Email: [email protected]
Christina Schönleber, Chief Strategy Officer at the Association of Pacific Rim Universities has extensive expertise in translating research to impact. She holds responsibilities for developing and growing APRU’s strategic policy impact to address pressing regional challenges through the association’s key program areas working closely with leading scientists and policy makers in the Asia Pacific.
Christina joined APRU from the innovation and enterprise leadership of the Royal College of Art and the University of Kent. As Head of Knowledge Exchange at the RCA in London, she set up and implementing the college’s strategic capabilities in applying latest knowledge and expertise to solve societal, environmental an economic issues. She led the development and submission of the RCA’s first major Innovate UK application gaining funding for multi stakeholder/ multi year collaboration on driverless vehicles and set up new strategic partnerships with major international corporations such as Huawei and Tata Consultancy Services.
At the University of Kent, Christina led the university’s strategic enterprise development in key areas of science and social science. In this role, she set up the university’s first student start up and enterprise schemes, forged new cross disciplinary research collaborations with key partners in the security and information sectors and developed lasting strategic partnerships with government and industry. Following this she worked as a business development consultant in Hong Kong, developing Sino-German business links.
Email: [email protected]
Adriana Rojas, Senior Director of Networks and Students Programs at APRU (the Association of Pacific Rim Universities), has more than 20 years of work experience in international higher education. She is a professional specializing in corporate affairs, intercultural communication, global strategy, negotiations, international students’ programs, and academic affairs. Her experience is in the education sector, private sector, consultancy, and international organizations.
During her career, Adriana has been leading collaborations and academic programs with Universities and International Organizations throughout the world, such as IVY League Universities. Before this position, she was Director of strategic partnerships at the Centre for Human Dignity and National Director of Asia Pacific Relations at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico. Adriana previously led areas of long-life learning and international liaison offices in Boston and at Yale University, USA. For more than 15 years, she has actively participated in international forums and consortiums linking and developing programs between Asia and Latin America, such as UAF, RIMAC, APAIE, Asia Pacific Six Universities Consortium, and ONE.
Her academic interest and teaching projects are on multiculturalism, intercultural communication, cultural D&I, and corporate diplomacy. Adriana has a Master in Asian studies by El Colegio de México, and a B.A in communication and international relations by Tecnológico de Monterrey. She has pursued further training at the University of Hull, UK, and has received fellowships from Tokyo Foundation, Japan Foundation, and El Colegio de Mexico.
Adriana has been a guest researcher and speaker in Mexico, the USA, Thailand, Japan, China, the UK, and Malaysia.
Email: [email protected]
Benjamin Zhou joined APRU in June 2023 as Program Manager, responsible for implementing research-based, policy-oriented and collaborative programs among academics, university leaders and other stakeholders.
With dual academic backgrounds in engineering and journalism, Benjamin spent the last seven years at The University of Hong Kong and then Internet Society Hong Kong in developing research projects, exploring best corporate practices and government policy implications to address challenges in the digital and big data era. Early on, he was a product marketing manager at China Telecom based in Guangzhou, China.
Benjamin holds a B.E. in Information Engineering from Beijing Institute of Technology and a Master of Journalism from The University of Hong Kong.
Email: [email protected]
With a background experience of more than 10 years in developing international programs, David Quimbayo joined APRU in March 2023. He worked for the YMCA in Hawaii and Alabama, USA; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Ibague, Colombia, and Hong Kong.
Prior to joining the APRU International Secretariat, he worked at the International and Mainland Affairs Section of the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong; there, he was key in developing new international partnerships and cooperation with overseas organizations. He also provided inbound and outbound international exchange opportunities to more than 1,000 members and developed several international service trips, promoting cultural understanding, global citizenship, and international connections.
David is a Colombian national who holds a B.A. in Physical Education, Sports, and Recreation at the Universidad del Tolima in Ibague, Colombia.
Email: [email protected]
Ms. Jackie Wong is the Director, Communications and Engagement. She is responsible for the implementation of membership management designed to improve member relations, increase engagement and enhance the overall member experience. She works with all teams to create a dynamic, responsive, and relevant membership experience that meets the needs of APRU’s diverse member base. Wong is also responsible for APRU's overall communications strategy including branding, PR, marketing, website development, digital media, publications, and more. With over 18 years of working in the higher education sector, Wong is dedicated to informing international public policy making through education, research, and partnership.
Prior to joining the APRU Secretariat, she launched the first-ever Global Master of Public Policy, a joint executive degree with The University of Hong Kong and the University of Southern California as the Director for Marketing and Recruitment. She also served at the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) and the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII), research centers at the University of Southern California.
She has organized large-scale discussions on environmental justice, immigrant integration, and regional equity, featuring speakers such as: Secretary Hillary Clinton, Connie Rice, Bob Moses, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Geoffrey Canada, and many others. She has also participated in the Rockwood Art of Leadership program and the Liberty Hill Commissions training program which led her to serve as a commissioner for the Los Angeles County Quality and Productivity Commission. She has a Master of Public Administration from University of Southern California and holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Email: [email protected]
Joey Chu is the Senior Manager of Events at APRU. She is responsible for organizing strategic events of APRU for members engagement including the Annual Presidents’ Meeting, Annual Senior International Leaders’ Meeting and Senior Administrators’ Meeting.
Prior to joining APRU, Joey headed the research administration at the HKUST Institute for Emerging Market Studies. She managed the 3-year-long multidisciplinary Belt and Road Program and maintained research partnership with EY, World Bank and United Overseas Bank. Before this role, she served at the branding and events team of Public Affairs Office at the same institution and managed university branding projects such as the University 25th Anniversary Distinguished Lecture Series and the inaugural Times Higher Education Asia Summit.
Joey holds a MBA from the University of Illinois of Urbana-Champagne and a B.A in Language Studies and Corporate Communication at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Email: [email protected]
After obtaining bachelor's degree in English Studies from Universitas Indonesia, Vini started her career as a journalist at an Indonesian media that focused on women empowerment and provided knowledge on personal identity and social values. 12 years later, she was awarded a scholarship by Hinrich Foundation to study MA in International Journalism Studies at the Hong Kong Baptist University.
Vini joined APRU in March 2024 as the Communications and Administrative Officer, responsible for supporting communications and promotions of APRU activities, events, and news; and maximizing efficiency and ensuring data integrity of APRU database. Prior to joining APRU, Vini worked at the International Organization for Migration (IOM - UN Migration) Hong Kong SAR, China sub-office. During the employment, she managed IOM's regional project to enhance protection and provide assistance and support for migrant workers, specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. Eric Chu is the Executive Manager of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities. Eric joins APRU with an extensive experience of over 15 years as an Executive to CEOs and Chairmen of international companies in both Canada and Hong Kong.
He has also served in the management team of various companies in assisting of overseeing the overall business as well as the overseas network. Brought up in Canada, he holds a Bachelor degree in Mathematics from The University of British Columbia, Canada. Email: [email protected]
Ms. Ellen Yau joined APRU in June 2018 and brings with her over eight years in finance and accounting experience. Previously, she worked with an international law firm heading the accounts payable division. She has also served in accounting firms, manufacturing companies, and legal offices where her role focused on cost benefit analysis, production coordination, and workflow management. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Kwantlen University in Canada.
Email: [email protected]
Kimberly works at UC Davis in the Global Learning Hub as an Intercultural Programs Coordinator. In her role, she coordinates a peer mentorship program for international students, works closely with a globally-focused residential community, and develops and delivers workshops and online content on topics around intercultural learning and growth. Prior to joining UC Davis, she coordinated faculty-led study abroad programs at another public university, developed programming for a peace and reconciliation centre in Northern Ireland, and served on the staff of a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, DC. She’s a graduate of UC Davis with a BA in International Relations and has a MA in International Education Management from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
Associate Professor Angelique Chan
Health Services & System Research
Executive Director
Centre for Ageing Research & Education,
Duke-NUS Medical School
Prof. Angelique Chan holds joint appointments as Associate Professor in the Signature Program in Health Services & Systems Research, Duke-NUS Medical School and the Department of Sociology, NUS. She is the Inaugural Executive Director of the Centre for Ageing Research & Education (CARE, Duke-NUS). Prof. Chan obtained her undergraduate degree, BA (Sociology) from Reed College, her PhD (Sociology) from the University of California at Los Angeles as a Rockefeller Foundation PhD fellowship awardee, and a US National Institute of Aging Post-Doctoral degree at the University of Michigan.
Prof. Chan‘s current research examines disability transitions, mortality, and the effects of social support on health, caregiver burden, and use of long-term care services. She has published widely on aging issues in leading international journals including the Journal of American Geriatrics Society, Journal of Aging and Health, and Journal of Gerontology Series B: Social Sciences and book chapters. She is co-author of a book titled Ageing in Singapore: Service Needs & the State (Routledge 2006) and Co-editor of Ultra-low Fertility in Pacific Asia: Trends, Causes and Policy Issues (Routledge 2009).
Her international work includes working with collaborators from Japan and USA on caregiving, work and retirement, and disability transitions. She has consulted for various local Singapore governments entities and international bodies such as the UNESCAP, The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
Email: [email protected]
Chelsey is the Study Abroad Enrollment and Operations Officer in Global Affairs at the University of California, Davis. She develops and manages comprehensive services for study abroad programs, including coordinating internships abroad, enrollment and placement processes, and serves on the Global Affairs Empowering and Uplifting Women’s Group. She completed her postsecondary education at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, RI, USA, where she earned an MBA, and bachelor’s degrees in Global Business and Spanish.
Chelsey serves as the program coordinator for the Asia-Pacific Women in Leadership Mentoring Program, where she manages the development and implementation of the program.
Jerome Hui is currently the Associate Professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is also the Director of Biology Programme, and members of Cell and Molecular Biology Programme, Environmental Science Programme, and Molecular Biotechnology Programme of the School of Life Sciences. He received his DPhil from the University of Oxford, and postdoctoral training from University of Manchester and University of Oxford. As an evolutionary biologist and zoologist, he has keen research interests on arthropods, cnidarians, invertebrates, cross-kingdom interactions, biotechnology, genomics, molecular ecology, and conservation of biodiversity. Further information can be found at the following webpage: https://www.sls.cuhk.edu.hk/index.php/faculty-and-staff/teaching-staff/26-sls/faculty-and-staff/teaching-staff/105-professor-hui-ho-lam-jerome.
Dr. Izumi joined Tohoku University in Japan as Associate Professor under the Office of the President (Promotion of international disaster science) and the International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS) in April 2013. She also plays the role of Program Director for the APRU-Tohoku University Multi-Hazards Program and has been a Professor now since 2022. She holds a Ph.D. in global environmental study from Kyoto University in Japan. She started her career in humanitarian assistance with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and involved in disaster response coordination in various countries in Asia, especially deeply involved in the recovery from the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2005 with the UN Office for the Recovery Coordinator for Aceh and Nias (UNORC) and the earthquake in Yogyakarta in Indonesia in 2006. She also worked for the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) to contribute to the preparation for the UN World Conference for Disaster Reduction held in Kobe, Japan. Since 2007, she worked for an international NGO (MERCY Malaysia) based in Malaysia as Head of Disaster Risk Reduction Department and General Manager for Operations. Also, she serves as Advisor for the Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network (ADRRN) established in 2002 which aims for capacity development of Civil Society Organizations and advocacy for the need of multi-lateral collaboration among various stakeholders.
Email: [email protected]
Yekang Ko is an Associate Professor in Landscape Architecture at the University of Oregon. Her research focuses on environmental planning, specialized in urban energy planning, green infrastructure, and physical planning and design for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Her teaching and professional projects are based on community service learning and outreach, collaborating with governments, non-profits, professionals and educators locally and internationally.
Before joining UO, Yekang taught at the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Texas at Arlington where she was selected as the 2013 Community Service Learning Faculty Fellow and the 2016 Professor of the Year award for Excellence in Higher Education.
Yekang received her Ph.D. in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning from UC Berkeley, Masters of Area Studies (Asia-Pacific Region) from the Graduate Institute of Peace Studies at Kyung Hee University and B.S. in Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering from Korea University.
Email: [email protected]
News
Yekang Ko profiled in Oregon Quarterly
Conflict of Greens, Oregon Quarterly, July 6, 2018
Selected Publications
Ko, Y., Jang, K., and Radke, J.D. 2017. Toward a solar city: Trade-offs between on-site solar energy potential and vehicle energy consumption in San Francisco, California, International Journal of Sustainable Transportation (In Press)
Adil, A.M. and Ko, Y. 2016. Socio-technical evolution of Decentralized Energy Systems: A critical review and implications for urban planning and policy. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews 57: 1025–1037.
Lee, J., Ko, Y., and McPherson, E.G. 2016. The feasibility of remotely sensed data to estimate urban tree dimensions and biomass, Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 16: 208-220.
Ko, Y., Lee, J., McPherson, E.G., and Roman, L.A. 2015. Long-term monitoring of Sacramento Shade program trees: tree survival, growth, and energy-saving performance. Landscape and Urban Planning 143:183–191.
Ko, Y., Lee, J., McPherson, E.G., and Roman, L.A. 2015. Factors affecting long-term mortality for residential shade trees: Evidence from Sacramento, CA. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 14: 500–507.
Ko. Y. 2014. The effect of urban trees on residential solar energy potential. Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture 42(1): 41-49.
Ko, Y. and Radke, J.D. 2014. The effect of urban forms on residential cooling energy use in Sacramento, California. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design 41(4) 573 – 593.
Ko, Y. 2013. Urban form and residential energy use: a review of design principles and research findings. Journal of Planning Literature 28(4): 327 – 351.
Yoon, J. and Ko, Y. 2013. STS Student Learning Model: an effective approach to identifying environmental problems and solutions. The International Journal of Science in Society 4(2):133-147.
Ko, Y., Schubert, D.K., and Hester, R.T. 2011. A conflict of greens: green development versus habitat preservation; the case of Incheon, South Korea. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 53: 3, 3- 17.
Nathan Lo is an evolutionary biologist interested in genome evolution, molecular ecology, and phylogenetics of arthropods. He has research programs on the evolution of social behaviour in termites and the symbionts of arthropods. After joining the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at The University of Sydney in 2009, he was an Australian Research Council (ARC) QEII Research Fellow from 2010-2014, and is currently an ARC Future Fellow (2017-2021). He was Biodiversity Research Initiative Leader at the Australian Museum, Sydney from 2008-2009. He has published over 140 scientific papers, which have been cited over 8500 times.
Director, APRU Sustainable Waste Management Program
Director, Korea Biochar Research Center
Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Dr. Ok is a full professor and global research director of Korea University, Seoul, Korea. He has published over 900 research papers and books, 92 of which have been ranked as Web of Science ESI top papers (90 have been selected as “Highly Cited Papers” (HCPs), and two as “Hot Papers”). He has been a Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher (HCR) since 2018 in Cross Field, Environment and Ecology, and Engineering. In 2019, he became the first Korean to be selected as an HCR in the field of Environment and Ecology. Again in 2021, he became the first Korean HCR in two fields: Environment and Ecology, and Engineering.
He is working at the vanguard of global efforts to develop sustainable waste management strategies and technologies to address the rising crisis in electronic and plastic waste, and pollution of soil and air with particulate matter. Dr. Ok has also served in a number of positions worldwide including, as an honorary professor at the University of Queensland (Australia), a visiting professor at Tsinghua University (China), an adjunct professor at the University of Wuppertal (Germany), and a guest professor at Ghent University (Belgium). He maintains a worldwide professional network by serving as a Co-Editor-in-Chief of Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, an Editor of Environmental Pollution, a member of the editorial advisory board of Environmental Science & Technology, and an editorial board member of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Chemical Engineering Journal, and Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, and several other top journals.
He currently serves as the Director of the Sustainable Waste Management Program for the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) and the Co-President of the International ESG Association. Moreover, he has served on the Scientific Organizing Committee of P4G Nature Forum: Climate Change and Biodiversity, and Nature Forum: Plastics and Sustainability. Dr. Ok has also served as the chairman of numerous major conferences such as Engineering Sustainable Development series (ESD series), organized by the APRU and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). In 2021, Dr. Ok hosted the first Nature conference among South Korean universities in Seoul on waste management and valorization for a sustainable future together with Chief Editors of Nature Sustainability (Dr. Monica Contestabile), Nature Electronics (Dr. Owain Vaughan), and Nature Nanotechnology (Dr. Fabio Pulizzi). Prof. Ok will host the first Nature Forum on Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) for Global Sustainability: the “E” Pillar for Sustainable Business.
E-mail: [email protected]
http://yongsikok.korea.ac.kr
https://apru.org/our-work/pacific-rim-challenges/sustainable-waste-management
https://www.nature.com/articles/d42473-020-00128-6
https://www.nature.com/articles/d42473-020-00539-5
Mellissa Withers received her Ph.D. in Community Health Sciences from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health in Los Angeles, USA in 2009 with an emphasis on medical anthropology. Her dissertation was related to fertility intentions in Bali, Indonesia, where she lived for 15 months. She also holds a Master’s in Health Sciences from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of International Health in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Her Master’s concentration was Health Systems Management. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. degree in Global Development.
She is currently an Associate Professor at the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health, where she teaches global health-related courses. She also works as an independent health research consultant. Her current research focuses on global reproductive health and women’s empowerment, including human trafficking, preventing unintended pregnancy, HIV/AIDS prevention among sex workers in Asia, and engaging male partners in family planning in sub-Saharan Africa. Other research interests include community participatory research; cultural competency; qualitative methodology; border, migrant, and refugee health; and how culture influences health-seeking behavior. Prior to coming to USC, she taught at UCLA in the Department of Anthropology and other universities throughout California.
She has traveled to more than 50 countries and has lived in Mexico, Costa Rica and Indonesia. She enjoys salsa dancing, kayaking and yoga.
Email: [email protected]
Us
Contact the International Secretariat of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities.
Address: Unit 902, Cyberport 2, 100 Cyberport Road, Hong Kong
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +852 2117 7060
Fax: +852 2117 7080