The John H. McArthur Research Fellowship

The John H. McArthur Research Fellowship, established by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada) in 2021, honours the legacy of the late Dr. John H. McArthur — a distinguished Canadian, former Chair of APF Canada’s Board of Directors, and Dean Emeritus of Harvard Business School. Since its launch, the Fellowship has supported mid-career scholars conducting original, policy-relevant research to deepen Canada’s understanding of the Indo-Pacific region.

Strengthening Policy-Relevant Scholarship on Canada’s Indo-Pacific Engagement

In response to a shifting global order and Canada’s evolving strategic priorities, the Fellowship will be significantly expanded for the 2025–2026 cycle and beyond. Building on its early success, the program will now support four Fellows annually whose research explores the intersection of Canada–U.S. relations and Indo-Pacific engagement. This evolution reflects the growing importance of collaboration in shaping regional strategies, particularly amid renewed trade uncertainty, realignments in global security arrangements, and intensifying geopolitical competition.

Fellows will explore topics such as supply chain resilience, digital trade norms, critical minerals, and Canada’s evolving relationships with the U.S. and major powers in the Indo-Pacific. Their work will inform Canadian policymakers and the public through published research, briefings to key stakeholders in government and the private sector, and an annual high-profile public symposium to be held in Canada. 

The expanded Fellowship aims to:

•    Foster binational (U.S., Canada) and multidisciplinary scholarship on shared Indo-Pacific challenges;

•    Produce timely, action-oriented research for Canadian and international audiences;

•    Support the next generation of thought leaders advancing Canada’s Indo-Pacific engagement;

•    Build a robust alumni network of McArthur Fellows that, over the next decade, will grow to 50 members — a vital asset for Canada in navigating an increasingly dynamic and uncertain global environment.

Each Fellow will receive a $C25,000 grant to support their work over a 12-month period. The program is open to mid-career researchers and policy experts with 10–20 years of experience.

More information on eligibility criteria and application deadlines for the 2025–2026 cycle click here.

For more information about our expanded Research Fellowship, please email info@asiapacific.ca

Launched in 2021, the John H. McArthur Research Fellowship builds on the success of the John H. McArthur Distinguished Fellowship, supported by the creation of a $2-million fund and a number of generous donors, awarded to an accomplished global thought leader who elevated the work of the Foundation through public engagement.

Support the John H. McArthur Research Fellowship

2021 John H. McArthur Tribute Video
 

John H. McArthur Research Fellows (2024-2025)

Dr. Diana Fu is an Associate Professor at The University of Toronto in the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and Political Science. She is a non-resident fellow at Brookings Institution, a China fellow at the Wilson Center, and a public intellectuals fellow at the National Committee on US-China Relations.  

Fu’s research examines civil society, popular contention, state control, and authoritarian citizenship in China. 

Dr. Erik Martinez Kuhonta is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at McGill University. Born in Kandy, Sri Lanka, Kuhonta grew up in Rome, Italy, and is originally from the Philippines.

His research is centred on comparative political development, state formation, democracy, political economy, religion, and comparative-historical analysis, with a regional focus on Southeast Asia. 

John H. McArthur Research Fellows (2022-2023)

Fiona Cunningham, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is also a Faculty Fellow at Perry World House and affiliated with the Center for the Study of Contemporary China and the Browne Center for International Politics.
Dr. Cunningham's research interests lie at the intersection of technology and conflict, with an empirical focus on China.

Oriana Skylar Mastro, Center Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University; Non-Resident Senior Fellow at American Enterprise Institute.
Dr. Mastro's research focuses on Chinese military and security policy, Asia Pacific security issues, war termination, nuclear dynamics, and coercive diplomacy.

John H. McArthur Research Fellows (2021-2022)

Elina Noor, Director of Political-Security Affairs and Deputy Director, Washington, D.C. Office at the Asia Society Policy Institute.
A native of Malaysia, Ms. Noor’s work focuses on security developments in Southeast Asia, global governance and technology, and preventing/countering violent extremism.

Tabitha Grace Mallory, Founder of China Ocean Institute and Affiliate Professor, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington.
Dr. Mallory specializes in Chinese foreign and environmental policy. She conducts research on China and global ocean governance and has published work on China’s fisheries and oceans policy.

About John H. McArthur

A uniquely accomplished Canadian and a native of Burnaby, British Columbia, John H. McArthur was the Dean of Harvard Business School from 1980 through 1995, Senior Advisor to the President of the World Bank from 1995 to 2005, a founding Board Member of the Canada Development Investment Corporation, and was Dean Emeritus at Harvard Business School before his death in August 2019. He sat on numerous boards, including Duke University Medical Center, KOC Holdings A.S. and Thomson Reuters Founders Share Company. Dr. McArthur was Chair of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada from 2006-2015.

Dr. McArthur earned a bachelor of commerce degree in forestry from the University of British Columbia in 1957. He continued his studies at Harvard, where he completed an MBA in 1959 and later earned a doctorate in business administration in 1963. In 2013 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, one of the country's highest civilian orders. Over his career, Dr. McArthur was awarded honorary doctorates from six different institutions in addition to multiple awards, most notably the Canadian Business Leadership Award, from the combined Harvard Clubs of Canada, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Corporate Directors in 2010.

Dr. McArthur's outstanding service and dedication to APF Canada prompted the establishment of the John H. McArthur Distinguished Fellowship. An avid proponent of collaborative communities, during his tenure as Chair, Dr. McArthur reached out to businesses, governments and academia to solidify the Foundation's position as a thought leader and agent of action in Canada's evolving relations with Asia.

John H. McArthur Distinguished Fellows (2017-2021)

2021 – Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist.

2019 – Michael R. Bloomberg, Founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, and 108th Mayor of New York City.

2017 – Fareed Zakaria, Host of “Fareed Zakaria GPS” for CNN Worldwide, Journalist, and Bestselling Author.