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 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.

Professor Bundhit Eua-arporn began his second term as President of Chulalongkorn University in May 2020. At present, he also serves as Chairperson and President of the Council of University Presidents of Thailand. At the international level, he is a member of the APRU Steering Committee, and the first Executive President of the Asian Universities Alliance (AUA). In his capacity as President of Chulalongkorn University, he is a pioneer in education innovation, setting up Chulalongkorn University’s Innovation Hub, Chula MOOCs and the School of Integrated Innovation, which offers the first Bachelor’s Degree program that combines both Arts and Science. He is also the founder of Siam Innovation District, an innovation system in downtown of Bangkok, Thailand. His research interest focuses on electric power system operation, control, and planning. He has been involved with many energy supply development projects both for government and private sectors.

Jin Taek CHUNG is the 20th President of Korea University and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Korea University, where he has taught full-time since 1993. He is the author of numerous articles, reviews, reports, and books on energy systems and turbomachinery. Dr. Chung will start serving as President of Korea University on March 1st, 2019. He has previously served as Vice President for Development and External Affairs (2009-2011), Dean of the College of Engineering (2016-2018), Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering and Technology (2016-2018), Dean of the Korea TechnoComplex (2016-2018), and Dean of the Graduate School of Management of Technology (2017-2018) in addition to teaching full-time at Korea University. During the 2000 academic year, Dr. Chung conducted research at the University of Minnesota as a Visiting Professor. During the 2007 school year, he was a Visiting Professor at the University of Maryland. During his sabbatical in 2014, he served as a Visiting Professor at the George Washington University. Prior to joining the faculty of Korea University, he was a Research Assistant at the University of Minnesota while pursuing his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. A graduate of Korea University’s Mechanical Engineering Program (BS 1983, MS 1985) and University of Minnesota’s Ph.D. Program in Mechanical Engineering (Ph.D., 1992), Dr. Chung has received numerous academic honors including the Valedictorian Prize (College of Engineering) from Korea University (1983), Best Paper Prize from the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers (2012), Merit-based Prize for the Enhancement of Industry-University-Institute Collaboration from the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (2012), and the Prize for Esteemed Scholarship from the Korean Society for Fluid Machinery (2013). He is also the recipient of the Seoktop Excellence in Teaching Award in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2012, and 2013 and the Excellent Lecture Award in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017 from Korea University He serves on the Board of Directors of several academic associations, including the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Korean Society for Fluid Machinery which he is currently serving as the president. He has also served on the Advisory Boards of the Korea University Alumni Association and the Korea University Alumni News, and as a policy advisor to the Ministry of Unification of the government of the Republic of Korea.

Prof Subra Suresh is the 4th President and inaugural Distinguished University Professor of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, since January 2018. He is a globally recognised materials scientist, biological engineer, author, and entrepreneur. Prof Suresh has served (2010-2013) as the Director of the US National Science Foundation (NSF), a position to which he was nominated by President Barack Obama , and unanimously confirmed by the US Senate. He has been the President of Carnegie Mellon University (2013 – 2017), and Dean of the School of Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2007-2010). Prof Suresh, who graduated from high school at the age of 15 and completed his doctorate degree from MIT in two years, is the first Asia-born professor to lead any of the five schools at MIT and the first Asia-born to lead the NSF and Carnegie Mellon. Prof Suresh is amongst a rare group of scholars elected to all three US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for his pioneering research in materials science and engineering, mechanics, and biomedicine. He is the recipient of some of the highest honours by governments and universities for his leadership in advancing science, technology, education, research, and innovation. Prof Suresh has been awarded 18 honorary doctorate degrees from some of the most prestigious institutions in the USA, UK, China, India, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, South Korea, Greece, and Russia. He has authored three books, more than 300 research articles, 26 patent applications, and has co­founded two technology start-ups. Prof Suresh is an independent Director of the Board of HP Inc. (HPQ) and Singapore Exchange (SGX); a member of the Board of National Research Foundation and A*STAR, Singapore, and a Senior Advisor to Temasek International Pte Ltd.

Professor Lin received his bachelor’s degree in Engineering from SJTU in 1982 and received his Ph.D. in Ship Structural Mechanics from SJTU in 1989. He served as Vice President of SJTU since 2004, and then Executive Vice President in 2010. In 2017, he became the 41st President of SJTU. Professor Lin has led more than 40 major projects sponsored by the national “973” Program, “863” Program, the National Science Foundation of China as well as Industry projects. Professor Lin has received many honors and awards for his outstanding research achievements, including 3 National Science and Technology Progress Awards. His recent research interests include sheet metal forming, manufacturing quality control and process simulation technologies. Professor Lin has also played a leading role in numerous professional organizations. He is a member of the standing committee of Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society, Chairman of the Modern Design Methodology Society of Shanghai, Vice Chairman of Shanghai Automotive Engineering Society, Vice Chairman of Shanghai Mechanical Engineering Society and Vice Chairman of Shanghai Aviation Society. He is also the editorial member of ASME Trans, JSME, International Journal of Sustainable Design, Journal of Plasticity Engineering, Forging & Stamping Technology, Journal of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Machine Design & Research, etc. He is a member of the International Advisory Committee of College of Engineering, University of Michigan. He is also a member of State Council Academic Degree Committee and a convener of Disciplinary Consultative Group for Mechanical Engineering. He is the Director of GM-SJTU Collaborative Research Laboratory in Advanced Manufacturing Processes, Baosteel-SJTU United Laboratory of AutoSheet Application Technology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Digital Automotive Body Engineering as well as Advanced Manufacturing Process Center for Civil Aircraft of SJTU-COMAC and SJTU-Tangche Collaborative Laboratory of High-Speed Railway Vehicle Body.

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.

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, 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.

In 2016, Santa J. Ono was appointed as the 15th president and vice-chancellor of the University of British Columbia, a global centre for research and teaching, consistently ranked among the 40 best universities in the world. As president, he leads an institution boasting 63,000 students, 5,500 faculty and 10,000 staff, and a $2.5 billion operating budget. As an administrator, Ono is known for his vision beyond the laboratory. He was the first Asian-American president of the University of Cincinnati when he was appointed in 2012. Previously, he served as the University Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Cincinnati and Senior Vice Provost and Deputy to the Provost at Emory University. Inside Higher Education named him America’s most notable university president in 2015. In 2016, the American Council on Education awarded him the Reginald Wilson Diversity Leadership Award. As a professor of medicine and biology, Ono has worked at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, University College London, and Emory universities. He was also inducted by Johns Hopkins into its Society of Scholars, and as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of Inventors, USA. Ono’s research encompasses the immune system, eye inflammation and age-related macular degeneration. An avid music lover, Ono studied at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore and still finds time to play his cello – even taking to the concert stage to perform on occasion. Ono is married to Wendy Yip, who trained as an immunologist at McGill and as a lawyer at Boston University. They have two daughters.

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.

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.

Carol Christ began her term as the 11th chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley on July 1, 2017. A celebrated scholar of Victorian literature, Christ is also well known as an advocate for quality, accessible public higher education, a proponent of the value of a broad education in the liberal arts and sciences, and a champion of women’s issues and diversity on college campuses. Christ spent more than three decades as a professor and administrator at UC Berkeley before serving as president of Smith College, one of the country’s most distinguished liberal arts colleges, from 2002 to 2013. She returned to Berkeley in January 2015 to direct the campus’s Center for Studies in Higher Education, and was appointed interim executive vice chancellor and provost in April 2016 before being named chancellor in March 2017. Since her return to Berkeley, she has worked to foster community and improve the campus climate for people of all backgrounds, celebrate the institution’s longstanding commitment to free speech, strengthen Berkeley’s financial position, address a housing shortage, and develop a ten-year strategic plan for the campus. As president of Smith for more than a decade, Christ supervised the development of the nation’s only accredited engineering program at a women’s college, oversaw a significant rise in student diversity, expanded Smith’s global activities and reach, managed a major campus capital planning program, and shepherded the college through strategic planning exercises designed to improve its academic and financial models within the context of changing trends in higher education. Prior to joining Smith, Christ served as UC Berkeley’s executive vice chancellor and provost from 1994 until 2000. During her six years as the campus’s top academic officer, she sharpened Berkeley’s intellectual focus, strengthening many of the institution’s top-rated departments in the humanities and sciences as well as advancing major initiatives in areas including neuroscience and bioengineering. Christ received her B.A. (1966) from Douglass College, and her M.Ph. (1969) and Ph.D. (1970) from Yale University. She joined the Berkeley English faculty in 1970, and in addition to her other roles, has served as chair of that department, dean of the Division of Humanities, and provost for the College of Letters and Science. Christ has authored two books, The Finer Optic: The Aesthetic of Particularity in Victorian Poetry (1975) and Victorian and Modern Poetics (1994), and has edited or co-edited several others, including The Norton Anthology of English Literature. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. Christ was married for 21 years to Paul Alpers, a professor of English and founding director of UC Berkeley’s Townsend Center for the Humanities, until his death in 2013. She has two grown children, Jonathan and Elizabeth Sklute, from a previous marriage, as well as two grandchildren. She lives in Berkeley.

Aiji Tanaka is President of Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan. He graduated from Waseda University in 1975 with B.A. in Political Science. Following his graduation, he pursued graduate work in the United States, and obtained a Ph.D. in political science from Ohio State University in 1985. Then, he started his teaching and research career in Japan, and returned to Waseda in 1998.  He has served as Dean of Academic Affairs (2006-2010) and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (2010-2014) at Waseda.  He has also served for international academic community, such as President of International Political Science Association (IPSA) (2014-2016).

Dr. Tremewan was elected as APRU’s 4th Secretary General and took up the role from June 2011. Before heading the APRU International Secretariat, he was the Vice-President/Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) of the University of Auckland, New Zealand. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social anthropology from the University of Auckland, a master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in political science (on Southeast Asian politics) from the University of Canterbury. He was elected a senior associate member of St. Antony’s College, Oxford University, in September 1991 from where he published the book The Political Economy of Social Control in Singapore (Macmillan and St Martin’s Press, 1994, reprinted 1996). He was a visiting fellow at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 2003 and a visiting professor at Peking University in 2007 – 2008. In 1995 he became the founding director of the New Zealand Asia Institute, which he led until 1999. Previously, he held positions as a senior consultant, executive secretary, and research director for international development organizations based in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo. A specialist on social regulation in Southeast Asia, his research has recently focused on the internationalisation of higher education. Email to Secretary General’s Executive Assistant: secgenoffice@apru.org

Sherman Cheng joins APRU with a background of over 20 years in commercial experience spanning across US and Hong Kong in roles ranging from financial consultant to senior financial controller. A graduate from UC Berkeley in Economics, Sherman also holds a Master of Business Administration from Santa Clara University and a Juris Doctor from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. As a qualified accountant, Sherman takes charge of APRU’s business processes, financial control, HR and work flow management. Email: sherman.cheng@apru.org

Dr. Tremewan was elected as APRU’s 4th Secretary General and took up the role from June 2011. Before heading the APRU International Secretariat, he was the Vice-President/Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) of the University of Auckland, New Zealand. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social anthropology from the University of Auckland, a master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in political science (on Southeast Asian politics) from the University of Canterbury. He was elected a senior associate member of St. Antony’s College, Oxford University, in September 1991 from where he published the book The Political Economy of Social Control in Singapore (Macmillan and St Martin’s Press, 1994, reprinted 1996). He was a visiting fellow at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 2003 and a visiting professor at Peking University in 2007 – 2008. In 1995 he became the founding director of the New Zealand Asia Institute, which he led until 1999. Previously, he held positions as a senior consultant, executive secretary, and research director for international development organizations based in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo. A specialist on social regulation in Southeast Asia, his research has recently focused on the internationalisation of higher education. Email to Secretary General’s Executive Assistant: secgenoffice@apru.org

Associate Professor Angelique Chan Health Services & System Research Executive Director Centre for Ageing Research & Education, Duke-NUS Medical School Dr. 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). Dr 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. Dr. 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: angelique.chan@duke-nus.edu.sg

Anya is the program officer at APRU. With 9 years of studying and working in the US, Anya is experienced and familiar with the US higher education system. Prior to joining the International Secretariat of APRU, Anya served in an education agency where her role focused on student academic planning and training, speech and event management, and student-to-college and agencies-to-college relationships. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies and a minor in film, television, and digital media from the University of California, Los Angeles. Email: anya.wong@apru.org   

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.

Christina Schönleber, Senior Director, Policy and Research Programs 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: christina.schoenleber@apru.org

Elaine has worked in various roles in the education sector and possesses substantial experience in program administration, student recruitment, committee service, project and event management, and communications. Prior to joining the International Secretariat in April 2016, she has worked for different higher education institutions including the Hong Kong Baptist University, The former Hong Kong Institute of Education and The University of Warwick of the United Kingdom. Graduated from The University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor of Arts and The University of Warwick with a Master of Arts in Translation Studies, Elaine has pursued further training in Public Relations, Marketing Communications and Events Management. A professional translator and interpreter, and also a language enthusiast, she can speak fluent Cantonese, Mandarin and has intermediate proficiency in French and Spanish. Elaine is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) of the Events Industry Council and a Digital Event Strategist (DES) certified by the Professional Convention Management Association. Email: elaine.hung@apru.org

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: ellen.yau@apru.org

Eric is the executive assistant to the secretary general of APRU. Eric joins APRU with extensive experience of over 15 years as an executive assistant to CEOs and chairs of international companies in both Canada and Hong Kong. He has also served on the management team of a logistics company, assisting in overseeing the overall business as well as its overseas network for a number of years. Brought up in Canada, he holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of British Columbia, Canada. Email: eric.chu@apru.org 

With over 15 years of experience in brand building, communications, and management, Jack has worked as the marketing team head at one of the largest property developers in Hong Kong (HK), the brand and chief digital lead of a multinational shoe company, a key member in the management team of a diverse range of retail brands and media platforms, a multimedia producer for a public broadcaster in HK, and a partner of multiple publishers and children’s charities.

Jack and his teams have earned over 20 corporate awards after handling projects ranging from the opening and rebranding of major shopping malls in HK to multiple store launches in HK and mainland China, brand events at Beijing and Shanghai (SH) fashion weeks, and the launch of HK-SH-New York e-commerce platforms. Jack has developed projects covering the fields of: brand development, digital and traditional marketing, PR, event management, trilingual communications, interorganizational network development, corporate collaboration, B2C and B2B MarCom strategy, multimedia production, publication, store and pop-up, VM, product development, POS distribution, e-commerce and website development, creative design, entrepreneurship, team management, innovation, and more.

Jack first studied sociology and politics at the Australian National University and earned both his Master and Bachelor of Social Science from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) through multiple scholarships, including the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund, Lord Fulton Memorial Prize Gold Medal Award, Kunkle and Pommerenke Grand Prize, S.H. Sung Creativity Award and 15 more awards. He continued his postgraduate education focusing on digital analytics under the head of analytics at Google, strategic negotiation and psychology at Yale University, marketing at The Wharton School and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, communications strategy at the University of Toronto and University of Colorado Boulder, and more.

In addition to being a member of the Association of Strategic Marketing (ASM), the Association for Audience Marketing Professionals (AAMP), The National Association of Sales Professionals (NASP), the International Association for Agricultural Sustainability (IAAS) and Asia CEO Community, Jack is also licensed in HK as a registered social worker (RSW).

Jack has written two best-selling books with multiple editions sold and a series of columns for various magazines. His books were published and/or distributed across HK, mainland China, and Canada by CUHK Press, Joint Publishing, Soul Mate, and Commercial Press. His publications were featured in CUHK’s exhibitions and added to the permanent collections of school and public libraries in HK.

Email: jack.ng@apru.org

Ms. Jackie Agnello Wong is the APRU Director, Network and Student Programs. With over 16 years of working in the higher education sector and policy, 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. Prior to this role she 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: jackie.wong@apru.org

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.

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.

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: mwithers@usc.edu

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.

Sherman Cheng joins APRU with a background of over 20 years in commercial experience spanning across US and Hong Kong in roles ranging from financial consultant to senior financial controller. A graduate from UC Berkeley in Economics, Sherman also holds a Master of Business Administration from Santa Clara University and a Juris Doctor from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. As a qualified accountant, Sherman takes charge of APRU’s business processes, financial control, HR and work flow management. Email: sherman.cheng@apru.org

Takako 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 a role of Program Director for APRU-Tohoku University Multi-hazard Programme. 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: izumi@irides.tohoku.ac.jp

Tina Lin has been active in marine conservation both academically and in volunteer organizations. This prepares her well for APRU’s research and policy programs especially on the Pacific Ocean and sustainability. Her last post was as a project coordinator with the Fisheries Agency of the Council of Agriculture in Taiwan. Before that, she was assistant program coordinator at the Global Health Center at National Taiwan University. In this capacity, she worked with the APRU Global Health Program. She has a Master of Arts in Marine Affairs from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, and a bachelor’s in Chinese literature from National Sun Yat-Sen University in Kaohsiung. Email: tina.lin@apru.org

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: yekangko@uoregon.edu 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.

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: yongsikok@korea.ac.kr 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