Alan CHAN
Professor Alan K.L. Chan is Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Chair Professor of Inter-Religious Studies and Harmony, and Provost at Singapore Management University (SMU). Prior to joining SMU, Professor Chan was Provost and J.S. Lee Professor of Chinese Culture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). From 2009 to 2020, he served as Toh Puan Mahani Idris Daim Chair Professor of Humanities, Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, and from 2018, Vice-President at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) of Singapore.
Professor Chan obtained his PhD degree in Religious Studies from the University of Toronto and began his academic career at the University of Manitoba, Canada. He then joined the Department of Philosophy, National University of Singapore (NUS), where he held several leadership roles, including the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and Associate Provost (Undergraduate Education). While at NUS, Professor Chan twice received the Teaching Excellence Award.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Religious Studies, University of Toronto, Canada
- Master of Arts (MA), University of Manitoba, Canada
- Bachelor of Arts (BA), University of Winnipeg, Canada
Research Interests
- Chinese philosophy and religion
- Hermeneutics
Research Areas and Areas of Expertise
HighlightsProfessor Chan joined CUHK in 2020 from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) of Singapore, where he served as Toh Puan Mahani Idris Daim Chair Professor of Humanities, Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, and from 2018, Vice-President responsible for Global Engagement, Alumni Relations and Institutional Advancement. Before joining NTU, he was Professor of Philosophy at the National University of Singapore (NUS), where he also held several leadership positions, including Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and Associate Provost (Undergraduate Education). While at NUS, Professor Chan twice received the Teaching Excellence Award.
Professor Chan’s research focuses on Chinese philosophy and religion, and hermeneutics. He has published widely in the areas of Confucian and Daoist philosophy, including articles on “Laozi” and “Neo-Daoism” in the award-winning Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Professor Chan was the invited speaker of the 36th Ch’ien Mu Lectures at CUHK, one of the most established lecture series in Chinese culture and history. While at NTU, he developed an online course on “Explorations in Confucian Philosophy,” which attracted over 10,000 learners on Coursera.
Showing up to 6 latest publications from the past 5 years.
- The Heshang Gong Companion to the Laozi,” in Dao Companion to the Philosophy of the Daodejing, edited by Xiaogan Liu. Springer, forthcoming 2025 [2025]
Professor Alan K.L. Chan is Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Chair Professor of Inter-Religious Studies and Harmony, and Provost at Singapore Management University (SMU). Prior to joining SMU, Professor Chan was Provost and J.S. Lee Professor of Chinese Culture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). From 2009 to 2020, he served as Toh Puan Mahani Idris Daim Chair Professor of Humanities, Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, and from 2018, Vice-President at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) of Singapore.
Professor Chan obtained his PhD degree in Religious Studies from the University of Toronto and began his academic career at the University of Manitoba, Canada. He then joined the Department of Philosophy, National University of Singapore (NUS), where he held several leadership roles, including the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and Associate Provost (Undergraduate Education). While at NUS, Professor Chan twice received the Teaching Excellence Award.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Religious Studies, University of Toronto, Canada
- Master of Arts (MA), University of Manitoba, Canada
- Bachelor of Arts (BA), University of Winnipeg, Canada
Research Interests
- Chinese philosophy and religion
- Hermeneutics