The Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Evan S. Medeiros, former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the White House’s National Security Council (NSC), as the inaugural Penner Family Chair in Asian Studies. Beginning August 1, 2018, Medeiros will be a full-time Professor of Practice at the School of Foreign Service and the Asian Studies Program, where he will help advance Georgetown’s research and teaching on China. He will offer undergraduate and graduate courses on U.S.-China relations and Chinese foreign policy. Medeiros will also serve as the Cling Family Distinguished Fellow in U.S.-China Studies, working with the Asian Studies Program to expand engagement and research on China. As a senior fellow, he will work closely with the Georgetown University Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues.
“SFS is excited to welcome Evan Medeiros, one of the nation’s leading experts and policy advisers on China and Asia, to Georgetown’s world-class Asian Studies faculty. He combines an impressive body of scholarship with engagement on the key policy issues that have shaped U.S. policy in Asia,” said Dr. Joel Hellman, Dean of the School of Foreign Service.
Medeiros comes to Georgetown after serving as the Obama administration’s Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Asian Affairs on the NSC. In that role, he served as President Obama’s chief advisor on the Asia-Pacific and was responsible for coordinating U.S. policy toward the Asia-Pacific across the areas of diplomacy, defense policy, economic policy, and intelligence affairs. He was one of the longest serving officials on President Obama’s NSC staff. Prior to joining the U.S. Government, Medeiros worked as a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, where he specialized in the international politics of East Asia as well as China’s foreign and national security policies. Most recently, Medeiros led the Asia practice at the Eurasia Group in Washington, D.C. as the firm’s Managing Director.
In addition to his policy experience, Medeiros brings deep scholarly expertise on China. He holds a Ph.D. in international relations from the London School of Economics, an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge (where he was a Fulbright Scholar), an M.A. in China studies from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, and a B.A. in analytic philosophy from Bates College. He has authored numerous books and journal articles on a broad range of Asian security issues, including Reluctant Restraint: The Evolution of China’s Nonproliferation Policies and Practices, 1980-2004 (Stanford University Press), Pacific Currents: The Responses of U.S. Allies and Security Partners in East Asia to China’s Rise(RAND), and China’s International Behavior: Activism, Opportunism, and Diversification(RAND).
“I am deeply honored by this appointment, and I am thrilled to join a great team of Asia specialists at Georgetown as the University expands its engagement in the region. The School of Foreign Service’s focus on the intersection of scholarship and policymaking in both teaching and research puts it at the forefront of Asian studies at this important time in global affairs. – Dr. Evan Medeiros”
The Penner Family Chair in Asian Studies is housed in the School of Foreign Service, a premier school of international affairs founded in 1919. The School’s Asian Studies Program, which offers the M.A. in Asian Studies (MASIA) degree in addition to graduate and undergraduate certificates, is a leader in educating the next generation of Asia experts. The Penner Family Chair in Asian Studies was established through a generous gift from the Carrie and Greg Penner Fund of the Walton Family Foundation.
The Cling Family Distinguished Fellow in U.S.-China Studies will help advance research, teaching, and high-level dialogue among American and Chinese leaders from the public sector, business, and the academy that addresses common challenges facing the global community. The Cling Family Distinguished Fellow in U.S.-China Studies was made possible by a generous gift from Michael (F’98) and Janet Cling.
With the appointment of Dr. Medeiros, Georgetown University now houses four former senior White House officials (including Victor Cha, Michael Green, and Dennis Wilder) who helped shape U.S. foreign policy towards Asia for the past several decades.
“Asia is at the center of global dynamism. Evan Medeiros brings scholarly and policy expertise that will not only enrich classroom experience for students but also help enhance Georgetown’s reputation as a global institution by strengthening our engagement with the region,” said Dr. Michael Green, Director of Asian Studies. “We are thrilled to have Dr. Medeiros join us at this very critical moment for Asia,” Green added.