IEAS Selects 10 Scholars for New U.S.-Taiwan Next Generation Working Group

February 21, 2020

The Institute of East Asian Studies (IEAS) at UC Berkeley is pleased to announce the first cohort of the U.S.-Taiwan Next Generation Working Group!

This new program aims to nurture and build a community of public policy intellectuals in the United States across a wide range of sectors and facilitate spin-offs of policy-oriented research teams and projects. During the three-year long program, the selected scholars will participate in training workshops in Washington D.C., California, and Taipei, Taiwan. Scholars will have opportunities in each of these locations to meet with policymakers, government officials, and opinion leaders in both the U.S. and Taiwan so as to broaden their understanding of current policy issues of importance to the U.S.-Taiwan relationship. The scholars will also learn how to effectively engage with the media, as well as participate in the policymaking process, and expand their professional networks. The program is led by a senior advisory group that includes, Vinnie Aggarwal (UC Berkeley), Shelley Rigger (Davidson College), and Jude Blanchette (Center for Strategic & International Studies).

The following 10 scholars were selected to participate in the first iteration of the three-year program:

  • Richard J. Haddock,Program Associate, East Asia National Resource Center, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University.
  • Brandon Lee, Anacostia Consulting Group, L.L.C.
  • Ming-Cheng Miriam Lo, Professor of Sociology, University of California, Davis.
  • Melissa Newcomb, Senior Project and Grants Manager, The National Bureau of Asian Research.
  • Sara Newland, Assistant Professor of Government, Smith College.
  • Mi Shih, Assistant Professor of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University.
  • Kharis Templeman, Advisor, Project on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific, Hoover Institution, Stanford University. 
  • Winston Tseng, Associate Professor of Research, School of Public Health Division of Community Health Sciences; Lecturer, Department of Ethnic Studies Asian American & Asian Diaspora Studies; and Associate Director of Research at Health Research for Action, University of California, Berkeley.
  • Yixue Wu, Climate and Health Policy Specialist. 
  • Cathy Xuanxuan Wu, Assistant Professor of Political Science & Geography, Old Dominion University.

“As the first program of its kind focused on cultivating and mentoring experts on U.S.-Taiwan relations, we're beyond excited to begin this three-year journey with our selected cohort,“ said IEAS Director Kevin O’Brien. "It's our hope that the program will enable a diverse group of scholars to learn from each other and benefit from deep exposure to policy, academic and business leaders, and so contribute to a better understanding of the many issues that shape the U.S.-Taiwan relationship.”

This program is administered by the Institue of East Asian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and is sponsored by the Taipei Economic and Culture Office in San Francisco.