2026-02-09
12th International Higher Education Research Forum: Research Capacity Building and Publication
Host: National Chengchi University
Date: 09:10-17:00, 3/26 (Thu), 2026
Venue: Room 313, College of Education, National Chengchi University
Co-Organizers: National Taipei University of Technology, National Chung Cheng University, National Chiayi University, Taiwan Higher Education Society
Keynote speakers:
Jisun Jung, Hong Kong University
Kevin Kester, Seoul National University
Special guests: Husaina Kenayathulla, University of Malaya; Shuoyang Meng, University of Tokyo
Background
Since 2021, National Chengchi University, National Taipei University of Technology, National Chung Cheng University, and National Chiayi University have jointly organized a Graduate Student Forum twice per year, providing a sustained platform for academic exchange and research development. This long-term inter-university collaboration strengthens graduate training, fosters cross-institutional networks, and reflects a shared commitment to enhancing research capacity and academic excellence among graduate students.
This year, the International PhD Students Forum - Research Capacity Building and Publication, aims to strengthen doctoral students’ scholarly competencies in conducting high-quality research and publishing in leading international journals. Bringing together two Editors-in-Chief of Q1-ranked journals as keynote speakers, the forum provides PhD students with rare insights into global publication standards, editorial expectations, and strategies for developing impactful manuscripts. Through keynote lectures, expert sharing, and interactive discussions, and editors’ feedback, participants are expected to enhance their research design, academic writing, and publication planning skills, while gaining a deeper understanding of the peer-review and editorial decision-making processes. The forum also serves as a platform for international academic exchange and networking, fostering cross-institutional and cross-regional collaboration among emerging scholars. Ultimately, the forum seeks to empower international PhD students to increase their research visibility, publication success, and long-term academic capacity in the global higher education landscape.
Agenda
Time
Sections
Speakers/ chairs/ Presentations
09:40- 10:00
Open remark
Prof. Joy Hu, National Chengchi University
Dr. Andy Fu Yuan Chih, Taipei Tech
Professor Aaron Koh, National Chung Cheng University
Professor Jason Yang Cheng Cheng, National Chiayi University
10:00 -11:40
Keynote speech and interactive dialogues
Chair: Professor Angela Yung Chi Hou
Keynote (1)Dr. Jisun Jung, Editor of Higher Education Research & Development, Hong Kong Univeristy
Keynote (2)
Dr. Kevin Kester, Editor of Asia Pacific Education Review
Discussants
Professor Angela Yung Chi Hou, NCCU
Dr. Andy Fu Yuan Chih, Taipei Tech
Professor Joshua Smith, Loyola University Maryland
11:40 -11:50
Tea break
11:50-13:20
Graduate presentation (I)
Chair: Professor Aaron Koh
Presentation (1) : Edward Su, PhD student, NCCU
Presentation (2) : Suseema Nawamalika Gamage, PhD student, University of Malaya
Presentation (3): Taylor Fengyu Wu, PhD student, HKU
Presentation (4): Jonathan Williams, PhD student, Oxford University
13:20:14:00
Lunch break
14:00-15:30
Graduate presentation (II)
Chair: Professor Jason Yang Cheng Cheng
Presentation (4) : Ricky Kurniawan, PhD Student, CCU
Presentation (5) : Yi-Chun Wu, MA Student, Department of Education, National Chiayi University
Presentation (6): Kexin Dong, PhD student, Seoul National University
Presentation (7): Yuan Chih Fu, Yong Yu Deng, MA student, Taipei Tech
Title: Strategic Expansion of Childcare Centers to Promote Educational Equity: Evidence from Agent-Based Modeling in Greater Taipei
15:30-15:50
Tea break
15:50-16:10
Editors’ Feedback section
Jisun Jung, Kevin Kester, Angela Yung Chi Hou, Aaron Koh, Jason Yang Cheng Cheng, Andy Fu Yuan Chih, Husaina Keneyathulla, Joshua Smith
Feedback on one of the most insightful presentations
16:10-16:20
Final remarks
Angela Yung Chi Hou, Aaron Koh, Jason Yang Cheng Cheng, Andy Fu Yuan Chih
Keynote speakers
Jisun Jung, Editor-in-Chief of Higher Education Research & Development (Q1)
Jisun Jung is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Her research interests include the academic profession, doctoral and master's education, and graduate employability, primarily within the East Asian context. She has been listed among the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists in the field of Education Research since 2022, according to Stanford University. She is currently the director of the Consortium for Higher Education Research in Asia (CHERA) at HKU and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Higher Education Research & Development.
Kevin Kester, Editor of Asia Pacific Education Review and Executive Editor of Teaching in Higher Education (Q1)
Kevin Kester is Associate Professor of Comparative International Education and Peace/Development Studies, and Director of the Education, Conflict and Peace Lab, at Seoul National University. His research interests lie in the sociology and politics of education with a focus on the intersectional fields of comparative education, education and conflict, higher education, peace education, and global citizenship education. He is especially interested in critical theoretical perspectives on research and practice drawing on poststructural, postmodern, decolonial, and posthumanist thought. He completed his PhD and postdoc at the University of Cambridge and holds a PGCE from Columbia University, MA in Education and International Development from the University of Toronto, MA in Peace and Conflict Studies from the United Nations, and a postgraduate certificate in Global Affairs from NYU.
His most recent books/special issues include A Modern Guide to Education in East Asia: Globalization and Local Intersections (2026, Edward Elgar, with Wing On Lee and Jeongmin Eom); Conflict, Peace and Teaching in Higher Education (2026, Routledge, with Greg Misiaszek); The United Nations and Higher Education: Peacebuilding, Social Justice, and Global Cooperation for the 21st Century (2020, Emerald Publishing); Revisiting ‘Asia as Method’ in Education Research (2023, Springer); and Common Curriculum Guide for Peace Education in Northeast Asia (2023, UNESCO-APCEIU, with Jeongmin Eom and Sicong Chen). He is recipient of the 2024 Professor Noam Chomsky Shining Star Research Award and the 2022 Unju Prize for Research Excellence. Kevin is originally from Kentucky, USA, where he received the commission of Kentucky Colonel – the highest civilian honor bestowed by the Governor of Kentucky – in 2020. He is Editor of Asia Pacific Education Review and Executive Editor of Teaching in Higher Education.