Isaac Leon KANDEL (1881–1965)
🇷🇴/🇬🇧/🇺🇸 | Teachers College, Columbia University

Romanian-born American comparativist who almost single-handedly developed comparative education as an academic discipline at Teachers College, Columbia University. Trained in Manchester under Michael Sadler and at Jena under Wilhelm Rein, Kandel earned his PhD at Columbia (1910) and served as professor (1923–1947) and editor of the Educational Yearbook (1924–1944). His landmark Comparative Education (1933) established methodological standards for analysing educational systems within their socio-political contexts. Kandel pioneered the study of Nazi education (The Making of Nazis, 1935) and advocated tirelessly for international educational cooperation, laying foundations for later East-West scholarly exchange. 

GU Mingyuan 顾明远 (b. 1929)
🇨🇳 | Beijing Normal University

Distinguished Professor and President Emeritus of the Chinese Society of Education. Professor Gu is the towering figure of Chinese education, having devoted over seven decades to educational research and teaching. As founder of modern comparative education in China, he played a decisive role in post-1978 educational reforms and remains an authoritative voice on educational modernisation. His longstanding scholarly dialogue with Western comparativists—including Ruth Hayhoe and Mark Bray—shaped the intellectual foundations of East-West exchange in education studies. 

LÊ Thành Khôi (1923–2025)
🇻🇳🇫🇷 | Université Paris V – René Descartes

Pioneer of comparative education and economics of education. Professor of Comparative Education at the University of Paris V – René Descartes (1971–1992). Doctorat ès Lettres (1968) with a groundbreaking thesis analysing education as an industry (L’Industrie de l’enseignement, 1967). Consultant for UNESCO, ILO, and the United Nations University (Tokyo), undertaking missions in forty-one countries. His major works—L’éducation comparée (1981), L’éducation : cultures et sociétés (1991)—developed an interdisciplinary framework linking education, culture, and development. Also a distinguished historian of Vietnam (Le Viêt-Nam, Histoire et civilisation, 1955). Laureate of the Grand Prix de la Francophonie awarded by the Académie française (2003).. 

Joseph Albert LAUWERYS (1902–1981)
🇧🇪/🇬🇧 | Institute of Education, University of London

Belgian-born British educationist who became the first Chair Professor of Comparative Education at the Institute of Education, University of London (1947–1970). Lauwerys played a foundational role in establishing UNESCO and worked with European Ministers of Education-in-exile on post-war reconstruction. He co-founded the Comparative Education Society in Europe (CESE) in 1961 and edited the World Yearbook of Education for nearly two decades. His work on international understanding and scientific method in education established comparative education as a rigorous academic discipline, influencing generations of scholars worldwide including those who would later develop Asia-Europe educational partnerships. 

Nicholas Adolf HANS (1888–1969)
🇷🇺/🇬🇧 | King’s College London / Institute of Education, University of London

Russian émigré scholar who pioneered comparative education methodology in Britain. Born in Russia and educated at the University of Odessa, Hans fled to London after the 1917 Revolution. He became Reader in Comparative Education at King’s College (1948) and collaborated closely with Joseph Lauwerys at the Institute of Education. His seminal work Comparative Education: A Study of Educational Factors and Traditions (1949) established analytical frameworks still used today. His understanding of Eastern European educational traditions and his transnational perspective prefigured later East-West comparative research approaches. 

George Zygmunt Fijałkowski BEREDAY (1920–1983)
🇵🇱/🇺🇸 | Teachers College, Columbia University

Polish-American comparativist who was founding editor of the Comparative Education Review and co-founder of the Comparative Education Society (now CIES) alongside William Brickman. Born in Warsaw, Bereday served in the Polish Cavalry and British Parachute Regiment during WWII, receiving Poland’s highest military decoration (Virtuti Militari) for the Arnhem operation. After the war, he joined Teachers College (1955–1983), where his Comparative Method in Education (1964) became a methodological cornerstone. His pioneering Japanese-American Teachers Project (1964–1968) and American Education through Japanese Eyes (1973) established frameworks for cross-cultural educational exchange between Asia and the West. 

Masunori HIRATSUKA (1907–1981)
🇯🇵 | National Institute for Educational Research, Tokyo

Founding President of the Japan Comparative Education Society (JCES, 1965) and third President of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES, 1977–1980). Hiratsuka was instrumental in establishing comparative education as an academic discipline in Japan and in connecting Japanese scholarship with the international community. Under his leadership, JCES became a founding member of WCCES (1970) and hosted the 4th World Congress in Tokyo (1980). The JCES Hiratsuka Award, established in 1990, continues to honour his legacy by encouraging young comparative education researchers. 

Michel DEBEAUVAIS (1922–2012)
🇫🇷 | University of Paris VIII / UNESCO IIEP

French comparativist who founded the Association Francophone d’Éducation Comparée (AFEC) and the journal Éducation Comparée in 1973. An ENS and ENA graduate, Debeauvais served as Director of UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (1977–1982) and as fifth President of WCCES (1983–1987). He co-founded the University of Vincennes (Paris VIII) in 1968 and established GRETAF (Groupe d’Étude Afrique) in 1995. His career embodied commitment to international cooperation, equality, and the dialogue between researchers and practitioners across continents. 

Robert COWEN (1938–2023)
🇬🇧 | UCL Institute of Education

Emeritus Professor of Education at UCL Institute of Education and Honorary Member of CESE. Born in Darlington, Cowen studied at LSE and the Institute of Education before joining the faculty in 1976. Following Brian Holmes’s retirement (1985), he became the doyen of comparative education at the Institute. A former CESE President (2004–2008) and Vice President, he promoted comparative education as a distinct field of academic inquiry. His co-edited International Handbook of Comparative Education (2009) with Andreas Kazamias became a standard reference. He worked internationally in the USA, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, and Argentina. 

Ruth HAYHOE (b. 1945)
🇨🇦 | Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto

Canadian comparativist who has dedicated over fifty years to building bridges between Western and Chinese educational scholarship. Living and working in China since 1967—including as Cultural Counsellor at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing and Director of the Hong Kong Institute of Education (1996–2002)—she witnessed pivotal events from post-Cultural Revolution reconstruction to Hong Kong’s handover. Her books China Through the Lens of Comparative Education (2015) and Canadian Universities in China’s Transformation (2016) document the West’s role in rebuilding Chinese higher education. Gu Mingyuan described her work as helping “foreign scholars understand Chinese education comprehensively.” 

LIU Baocun 刘宝存 (b. 1965)
🇨🇳 | Beijing Normal University

Director of the Institute of International and Comparative Education (IICE) at Beijing Normal University since 2016. Professor Liu is a prominent figure in the field of comparative and international education. He has significantly expanded the institution’s international partnerships and developed sustained research collaborations with European and American scholars. Under his leadership, the IICE has become a pivotal platform for comparative and international education dialogue between China and Europe, hosting the World Forum for Comparative Education for many years and fostering research collaborations with French, British, and American universities. 

David PHILLIPS (b. 1945)
🇬🇧 | University of Oxford

Emeritus Professor of Comparative Education at the University of Oxford and former editor of Comparative Education. Phillips has made significant contributions to understanding policy borrowing and the uses of cross-national attraction in education. His edited volume British Scholars of Comparative Education (2020) documents the history of the field in the UK. He has collaborated with Chinese scholars and contributed to understanding how British educational ideas have been received and adapted in East Asian contexts. 

Mark BRAY (b. 1952)
🇬🇧/🇭🇰 | University of Hong Kong / UNESCO

UNESCO Chair Professor in Comparative Education at the University of Hong Kong and former Director of UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (2006–2010). Bray is a methodological innovator whose co-edited Comparative Education Research: Approaches and Methods has been translated into twelve languages including Chinese and French. His pioneering work on “shadow education” (private tutoring) has particular relevance to East Asian contexts. A former President of both WCCES and CIES, he has collaborated extensively with mainland Chinese scholars and published works with Gu Mingyuan through the CERC monograph series. 

Susan L. ROBERTSON (b. 1955)
🇬🇧 | University of Cambridge

Professor of Sociology of Education, University of Cambridge (since 2016); previously University of Bristol (1999–2016). PhD Calgary (1990). Founding Editor-in-Chief of Globalisation, Societies and Education (2003–present). President of Comparative and International Education Society CIES (2024–2025). Her research on the political economy of education and global governance includes comparative work on Europe-Asia inter-regionalism, analysing EU higher education strategies targeting China and India, and recent collaboration with Chinese scholars on civilisational dynamics in Chinese higher education (with Lili Yang, HKU, 2024). 

Jürgen SCHRIEWER (b. 1940)
🇩🇪 | Humboldt University Berlin

Emeritus Professor of Comparative Education who directed the Comparative Education Centre at Humboldt University (1991–2010). Former President of the Comparative Education Society in Europe (CESE) and Dean of Humboldt’s School of Education. Schriewer shaped theoretical approaches to world society and education through works including Discourse Formation in Comparative Education and World Culture Re-Contextualised. His framework for analysing “externalization to world situations” has influenced comparative research globally. Visiting Professor at institutions in Paris, Tokyo, Mexico City, and Buenos Aires, he served as co-editor of Éducation Comparée alongside Régis Malet. 

ZHANG Minxuan 张民选 (b. 1955)
🇨🇳 | Shanghai Normal University / UNESCO TEC

Director of the UNESCO Teacher Education Centre (Shanghai) and former President of Shanghai Normal University. Architect of Shanghai’s participation in PISA assessments, Zhang played a key role in the international visibility of Shanghai’s education system. As founding Director of the UNESCO Teacher Education Centre (est. 2017)—the world’s only UNESCO Category II Institute for teacher education—he champions initiatives including the China-England Mathematics Teacher Exchange Programme (2014–present). His career bridges teaching, research, and government positions, making him a unique connector between Chinese educational practice and global policy discourse. 

Andreas M. KAZAMIAS (b. 1927) 
🇨🇾/🇺🇸/🇬🇷 | University of Wisconsin-Madison / University of Athens 

Emeritus Professor of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Athens. Born in Cyprus, Kazamias studied at Bristol (1948) and Harvard (1958) before becoming a founding member of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), serving as its President. Honorary Fellow of CIES and Honorary Member of CESE, he holds honorary doctorates from Bristol, Ioannina, and Crete. His humanistic approach, emphasising “paideia of the soul” and engaging ancient Greek concepts, has shaped generations of comparative education scholars worldwide. 

Régis MALET (b. 1970)
🇫🇷 | University of Bordeaux

President of the Association Francophone d’Éducation Comparée (AFEC) and Editor-in-Chief of Éducation Comparée. Honorary Member of the Institut Universitaire de France, Honorary Research Associate at UCL Institute of Education, and High-Caliber International Talent & Visiting Professor at Capital Normal University, Beijing. He has served as visiting fellow and professor across the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, and as expert evaluator for research programmes across Asian, European, and American institutions (European Commission, European Parliament, CONFEMEN, UNESCO). His research on educational policy and curriculum has been developed through sustained collaboration with Capital Normal University, Beijing Normal University, Shanghai Normal University, including co-edited volumes with Liu Baocun. Creator of the bilingual Master’s in International Education & Training and director of the Brill collection “Comparative and International Education: Francophonies”. 

WANG Yingjie 王英杰 (b. 1940)
🇨🇳 | Beijing Normal University

Former Vice President of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES) and Professor at Beijing Normal University. A pioneer of comparative education in China, Wang Yingjie contributed to structuring the discipline nationally and developing international research exchanges. His work built bridges between Chinese education scholarship and global academic communities, playing a formative role in establishing bilateral research relationships between BNU and European institutions. 

RAO Congman 饶从满 (b. 1966)
🇨🇳 | Northeast Normal University, Changchun

Professor of Comparative Education and Director of the Institute of International and Comparative Education at Northeast Normal University. Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Education Research (《外国教育研究》). Vice President of the China Comparative Education Society. PhD, Northeast Normal University. Specialist in China-Japan comparative education, teacher professionalization, and moral education. His comparative work on teacher education reform has shaped international dialogue, notably through contributions to Globalisation and Teacher Education in the BRICS Countries (Routledge, 2024, with Ian Menter) and Transforming Teachers’ Work Globally (SensePublishers, 2013). Founder of the East-West Forum on Teacher Education (2025).

LIU Min 刘敏 (b. 1980)
🇨🇳/🇫🇷 | Beijing Normal University

Associate Professor at the Institute of International and Comparative Education (IICE), Beijing Normal University, and Director of the Franco-Chinese Centre for Innovation in Education (CFCIE). Liu Min holds a joint doctorate from Beijing Normal University and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Her publications on French higher education reform, the Grandes Écoles system, and educational entrepreneurship provide essential comparative perspectives linking French and Chinese educational research. 

ZHU Xudong 朱旭东 (b. 1965)
🇨🇳 | Beijing Normal University

Dean of the Faculty of Education at Beijing Normal University. Zhu Xudong has hosted the World Forum for Comparative Education and presented the institution’s strategic orientations for teacher training and educational research. His leadership has expanded BNU’s role as a hub for Sino-European academic collaboration, supporting joint doctoral programmes and research partnerships with universities in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. 

Keita TAKAYAMA (b. circa 1975)
🇯🇵/🇦🇺 | University of New England, Australia

Associate Professor at the University of New England, Australia, where he leads the Equity and Diversity Education Research Network. Takayama’s research explores using East Asia as an epistemic resource for comparative and international education research. His work on Japanese comparative education scholarship and the “area-studies approach” has highlighted how non-Western comparative education societies can “provincialise” English-language academia and cross-culturalise the field. He co-edited special issues in Comparative Education Review and Postcolonial Directions in Education.  

Pruet SIRIBANPITAK (b. 1955)
🇹🇭 | Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok

Professor at the Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University, and expert in educational policy and planning. Siribanpitak has advised the Thai Ministry of Education and contributed to regional reflections on teaching quality within ASEAN. His work on teacher professional development has informed Thailand’s engagement with international frameworks developed through UNESCO and OECD partnerships. He has participated in Sino-ASEAN educational dialogues and collaborative research with Chinese normal universities. 

Leang UN (b. 1960)
🇰🇭 | Royal University of Phnom Penh

Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. An essential voice in Cambodian higher education, Leang Un works on the reconstruction of post-conflict educational systems and the democratisation of university access in Southeast Asia. His scholarship bridges developing nations’ experiences with global comparative education frameworks, collaborating with Chinese and European researchers on educational governance and capacity building in the Mekong region. 

Andreas SCHLEICHER (b. 1964)
🇩🇪 | OECD, Paris

Director for Education and Skills at the OECD and Special Adviser on Education Policy to the Secretary-General. Born in Hamburg, Schleicher initiated and oversees the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), TALIS, and other international instruments that have created a global platform for policy-makers and researchers. Former US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said Schleicher “understands global issues better than anyone.” UK Secretary of State Michael Gove called him “the most important man in English education.” His work has profoundly shaped how Asian and European education systems are compared and understood globally. 

Gita STEINER-KHAMSI (b. 1956)
🇨🇭/🇺🇸 | Teachers College, Columbia University / Geneva Graduate Institute

William Heard Kilpatrick Professor of Comparative Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and UNESCO Chair in Comparative Education Policy at the Geneva Graduate Institute, Steiner-Khamsi is an Iranian-born, Swiss-raised, naturalized American scholar specializing in policy transfer and educational borrowing, particularly in Mongolia and Central Asia. A past president of CIES and former co-editor of the World Yearbook of Education, she has supervised 68 doctoral dissertations. Her book Educational Import in Mongolia (2006) was translated into Mongolian. She holds an honorary doctorate from the Mongolian State University of Education (2004).

Mina HATTORI 服部美奈 (b. 1965)
🇯🇵 | Nagoya University

President of the Japan Comparative Education Society (JCES) and Professor at Nagoya University. A specialist in Southeast Asian education, particularly Indonesia, Hattori actively contributes to intra-Asian academic exchanges. Her work on Islamic education and educational development in the ASEAN region has fostered cross-cultural understanding between East Asian scholarly communities. She has participated in multiple Sino-Japanese collaborative research projects on educational modernisation. 

Paul MORRIS (b. 1951)
🇬🇧/🇭🇰 | UCL Institute of Education

Professor of Comparative Education at UCL Institute of Education. Morris worked in Hong Kong from 1976, serving as Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong (1986–1992), Chair Professor in Curriculum Studies (1997), and President of the Hong Kong Institute of Education (2002–2007). His extensive publications on education policy, curriculum, and schooling in Hong Kong and East Asia include Curriculum, Schooling and Society in Hong Kong and Imagining Japan in Post-war East Asia (co-edited). His work bridges British comparative education methodology with deep expertise in East Asian educational systems. 

Maria MANZON (b. 1970)
🇵🇭/🇭🇰 | Sophia University, Tokyo

Associate Professor at the Department of Education, Sophia University in Tokyo (previously Assistant Professor at the Education University of Hong Kong) and author of Comparative Education: The Construction of a Field (2011). Manzon’s historiographical work on comparative education has documented the field’s development globally. Her research on religion and education, parent engagement in Asia, and education for sustainability bridges European and Asian perspectives. She has contributed to understanding how comparative education scholarship has developed differently across cultural contexts.

Florian WALDOW (b. 1975)
🇩🇪 | Humboldt University Berlin

Professor of Comparative and International Education at Humboldt University Berlin. Waldow’s research focuses on educational policy transfer, particularly between Nordic countries and Germany. His co-edited volume Understanding PISA’s Attractiveness (2019, with Steiner-Khamsi) critically analyses how international assessments influence national policies. His work contributes to understanding how Nordic and East Asian education systems are constructed as “reference societies” in global educational discourse. 

Romuald NORMAND (b. 1965)
🇫🇷 | University of Strasbourg / Beijing Normal University

Professor of Sociology at the University of Strasbourg (Faculty of Social Sciences, Research Unit CNRS SAGE) and former intervenant at the École nationale d’administration (ENA, now INSP since 2022). Normand is a high-end foreign expert designated by China’s State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs and serves as Head of the Chinese-French Centre for Innovation in Education at Beijing Normal University, where he also holds an Associate Visiting Professorship. His research focuses on comparative education policies, school management and leadership, and the sociology of European education governance. His dual position bridges French and Chinese educational research institutions. He is also Honorary Professor at Aarhus University, Copenhagen.

Terri KIM (b. 1965)
🇰🇷/🇬🇧 | Hanyang University, Seoul / UCL Institute of Education / UEL

Professor in the College of International Studies at Hanyang University, after two decades in British academia (UCL Institute of Education, UEL). Her research on transnational academic mobility and “diasporic comparative education” examines how émigré and migrant scholars have shaped the field, bridging Korean, British, and broader international perspectives on comparative higher education.She holds a visiting professorship at Yonsei University (Seoul), her alma mater, and has published extensively on comparative higher education in Asia and Europe.

LI Jun 李军 (b. 1970)
🇨🇳/🇨🇦 | Western University, Canada

ARC Chair and Professor of Comparative and International Education at Western University and Past President of CIES (2023–24), the first East Asia-born scholar elected to this office. Two PhDs (Educational History, ECNU 1992; International Education Policy, Maryland 2006). His research spans higher education internationalisation, comparative policy, and Educational Improvement Science. Founding President of the Chinese Society for Education (CSE, 中华教育学会).

YANG Rui 杨锐 (b. 1965)
🇨🇳/🇭🇰 | University of Hong Kong

Professor of Comparative Education at the University of Hong Kong and member of the CERC management committee. Yang’s research focuses on higher education in China, internationalisation, and the sociology of knowledge. His work contributes to understanding how Chinese educational traditions interact with global academic norms and Western educational models. 

TENG Jun 滕珺 (b. 1983)
🇨🇳 | Beijing Normal University

Professor and Vice Director of the Institute of International and Comparative Education (IICE), Beijing Normal University. Secretary-General of the China Comparative Education Society (since 2019) and WCCES Finance Committee member. Joint PhD from BNU and Columbia Teachers College (2010). Her research focuses on international organisations, UNESCO policy discourse, and global competence. Former World Bank/GPE consultant (2016–2017) and Erasmus Visiting Scholar at the University of Tampere, Finland. Her comparative work on China-Finland educational relations contributes to Sino-European dialogue.

BIAN Cui 卞翠 (b. 1981)
🇨🇳 | UNESCO TEC, Shanghai Normal University

Associate Professor at the UNESCO Teacher Education Centre (TEC), Shanghai Normal University. Trained in France (PhD Bordeaux 2015), BIAN Cui coordinates TEC’s international programmes on teacher professional development and co-hosted the Chinese launch of the Global Report on Teachers (2024). Her work on translating international education research supports the Centre’s mission to provide “Chinese wisdom, experience and support” in global education development.

ZHANG Mengqi 张梦琦 (b. circa 1990)
🇨🇳 | Capital Normal University, College of Education, Beijing

Associate Professor at Capital Normal University. PhD in Comparative Education from the Institute of International and Comparative Education (IICE), Beijing Normal University. Her research focuses on education policy and governance, comparative higher education, and digital transformation, with particular expertise in French education. Author of Pathways of University Mergers and Restructuring in Contemporary France and A History of Ideas in French Teacher Education, she has published in leading Chinese and international journals. Actively engaged in Sino-French academic exchange through multiple extended research visits, she contributes to scholarly dialogue on educational decentralisation, school autonomy, curriculum reform, and internationalisation of education.

WANG Lijuan 汪丽娟 (b. 1985)
🇨🇳 | Hunan University, Changsha

Professor at Hunan University specialising in intercultural and comparative education. Her research examines minority education policies in China, particularly Yi bilingual education in Liangshan, addressing questions of equality, recognition and affirmative action. Wang’s comparative work bridges Chinese, Nordic and European perspectives on educational inclusion, early childhood education and digital citizenship, contributing to transnational dialogue on multicultural education governance.

QI Wanxue 齐万学 (b. 1965)
🇨🇳 | Qufu Normal University

Professor at Beijing Normal University and specialist in educational policy analysis. Qi’s comparative research examines educational governance and reform across national contexts, contributing to understanding how policy ideas travel between Europe and China. 

ZHOU Nanzhao 周南照 (1942–2014)
🇨🇳 | UNESCO / East China Normal University

Senior Programme Specialist and Coordinator of UNESCO-APEID (Bangkok, 1998–2004), founding President of UNESCO-APNIEVE. The only Chinese member of the landmark Delors Commission (1996), Zhou authored the chapter on East-West educational and cultural interactions in Learning: The Treasure Within. Former Vice-President of China’s National Institute of Educational Research and founding Director of the International Center of Teacher Education at ECNU. Executive Committee member of the WCCES (1990–1996). A pivotal figure bridging Asian-European perspectives in global education policy.

Leo FERNIG (1915–1999)
🇧🇪 | UNESCO / International Bureau of Education

One of the founding members of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES) in 1970, representing the International Bureau of Education. Fernig provided crucial support from UNESCO to the idea of creating an international umbrella organisation for comparative education societies. His work at UNESCO facilitated the institutional development of comparative education as a globally recognised field of scholarship. 

Gerald READ (1913–2005)
🇺🇸 | Kent State University

Founding member of WCCES representing CIES-USA and first Secretary-Treasurer of the Comparative Education Society (founded April 27, 1956). First president of CIES (1970-1974), a pioneer of international educational study tours, Read organised the first academic exchanges with Communist nations and negotiated the inaugural US-USSR educational exchange agreement (1957). His work supported comparative education development in the United States and American participation in international scholarly networks. 

Joseph KATZ (1910–1988)
🇨🇦 | University of British Columbia

One of the founding conceptualists of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES), representing the Comparative and International Education Society of Canada (CIESC). Katz was instrumental in organising the first World Congress in Ottawa (1970). His vision for an international organisation uniting comparative education societies from around the world shaped the institutional framework for global scholarly exchange in the field. 

Bob ADAMSON (b. 1955)
🇬🇧/🇭🇰 | Education University of Hong Kong

Emeritus Professor at the Education University of Hong Kong and former Honorary Director of the Comparative Education Research Centre (CERC) at HKU. Past President of the Comparative Education Society of Hong Kong (CESHK), Adamson has co-authored Comparative Education Research: Approaches and Methods with Mark Bray. His work on curriculum studies and language education policy in Hong Kong bridges British and Chinese educational research traditions. 

W. John MORGAN (b. 1945)
🇬🇧 | University of Nottingham

UNESCO Chair of the Political Economy of Education at the University of Nottingham and Honorary Professor at Cardiff University. Morgan’s work on comparative education includes significant attention to Chinese educational development. He has contributed to understanding how political economy frameworks can illuminate educational policy across different national contexts, including China. 

Iveta SILOVA (b. 1975)
🇱🇻/🇺🇸 | Arizona State University

Professor and Associate Dean of Global Engagement at Arizona State University and Past President of CIES (2020–21). Born and educated in Soviet Latvia, her research has evolved from post-socialist education transformations and shadow education toward post/decolonial approaches, education in the anthropocene, and ecological sustainability. Co-editor of European Education: Issues and Studies and elected member of the World Academy of Art and Science.

Philip G. ALTBACH (b. 1941)
🇺🇸 | Boston College

Research Professor Emeritus and founding Director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College. Born in Chicago, Altbach earned all degrees at the University of Chicago and became a foundational figure in comparative higher education studies. Former editor of Comparative Education Review (1978–1988), he has authored or edited over 50 books, many translated into Chinese and Japanese. His work on world-class universities and the academic profession has been particularly influential in understanding Asian higher education development. Visiting Professor at Peking University and Xiamen University, his Comparative Higher Education was published in Chinese by the People’s Education Press, Beijing.