About ASPIRE

Chairperson’s Message

For more than a decade, the ASPIRE League has fostered collaborative research across disciplines and our consortium activities have led to fruitful networks and exchange across borders.
In the past two years, the world of academia and research witnessed an unprecedented change with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite many new challenges and roadblocks created by the pandemic, ASPIRE League will continue to facilitate research collaborations and student exchange not only between the member universities but also across the globe.
I look forward to the creative and innovative solutions the ASPIRE League will create to overcome the unique challenges of today. While how we work may change, the role that ASPIRE plays in bringing the world together will stay strong and its global presence will continue to grow.

ASPIRE League chairpersons, past and present

2009-2010:
Prof. Ichiro Okura, Executive Vice President, Tokyo Institute of Technology

2011:
Prof. Yong Taek Im, Associate Vice President, Office of Special Projects and Institutional Relations, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

2012:
Prof. Chang D. Yoo, Associate Vice President, Office of Special Projects and Institutional Relations, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

2013-2014:
Prof. Yuan Si, Vice President, Tsinghua University

2015-2016:
Prof. Joseph HW Lee, Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, The Hong Kong Univeristy of Science and Technology (HKUST)

2017-July 2018:
Prof. ER Meng Hwa, Senior Advisor, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU)

July-December 2018:
Prof. Alan Chan, Vice President (Alumni and Advancement), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU)

2019-2021:
Dr. Tetsuya Mizumoto, Executive Vice President (Education), Tokyo Institute of Technology

2022-current:
Prof. Man-Sung Yim, Associate Vice President of the International Office, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)