Dr. Thomas J. Christensen is the James T. Shotwell Professor of International Relations and Director of the China and the World program in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. He is also a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution. From 2006 to 2008, he served as U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, with responsibility for relations with China, Taiwan, and Mongolia.

His research and teaching focuses on China’s foreign relations, the international relations of East Asia, and international security. Previously, he taught at Princeton University, Cornell University, and MIT. He received his bachelor’s degree from Haverford College, his master’s degree in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania, and a doctorate in political science from Columbia University.

Dr. Christensen has served on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. He is editor of the Nancy B. Tucker and Warren I. Cohen book series on the United States in Asia at Columbia University Press. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He was presented with a Distinguished Public Service Award by the United States Department of State.