Alex Tan

Alex Tan is a Professor of Political Science and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Canterbury. He also holds honorary and adjunct roles with institutions in New Zealand, the United States, and Taiwan, and is the Founder of the Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs in Christchurch.

He has held visiting positions at leading universities including Oxford and Nottingham, and was recognised as a Tūwhana for Ōtautahi Christchurch in 2024 for his community contributions. At Canterbury, he has twice served as Head of Department and received multiple teaching awards.

Alex holds a PhD in Political Science from Texas A&M University, along with degrees in economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and Ateneo de Manila University. Before academia, he worked in banking and economic research, and held roles in the United States.

He represents New Zealand in Track II security and economic dialogues and is editor of Frontiers in Political Economy. He serves on several international journal editorial boards and is widely published on political economy, elections, and Asia-Pacific politics. He also hosts the podcast Views from Down Underer.