Researcher Summary
Alex Tan is Professor and Head of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Canterbury, Honorary Professor of the NZ Defence Force Command and Staff College, Associate Director of the NZ Contemporary China Research Centre, Senior Fellow of the University of Nottingham China Policy Institute (UK), Fellow of the John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies (Dallas, USA), and University Chair Professor of Political Science (adjunct) at National Chengchi University (Taiwan). Alex was appointed by the NZ Minister of Foreign Affairs as a member of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC) for 2019-2021. He is recipient of many teaching awards including the 2017 and 2014 UCSA College of Arts Lecturer of the Year, 2015 College of Arts Teaching Excellence Award and the 2014 UCSA University Lecturer of the Year Award. He received his PhD (Political Science) from Texas A&M University, MA (Economics) from University of California-Santa Barbara, and AB (Economics) from the Ateneo de Manila. Prior to joining UC, he was tenured associate professor at the University of North Texas, worked as a banker with HSBC and research fellow at Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. He was visiting scholar in universities in the USA, UK, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan and has represented NZ in international Track II security and economic dialogues. Alex is editorial board member of many prominent international academic journals such as Electoral Studies, Political Behavior, Political Science, Asian Survey, Issues and Studies, Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs. He has published extensively in the areas of political parties and elections, political economy, Asian politics and international affairs.
