Adam P. Liff

Dr. Adam P. LIFF (黎雅澹) is Professor of East Asian International Relations and Founding Director of the 21st Century Japan Politics and Society Initiative at Indiana University’s (IU) Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. Beyond IU, he is a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution's Center for East Asia Policy Studies, as well as an Associate-in-Research at Harvard University’s Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies. He is also the former Visiting Chair in Modern and Contemporary Japanese Politics and Foreign Policy at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.

Dr. Liff's research examines contemporary foreign policy challenges in East Asia—with a particular focus on Japan’s foreign (esp. defense) policy and the U.S.-Japan alliance; U.S. allies and Taiwan, Japan-U.S.-China relations; and U.S. Asia-Pacific strategy. His past academic and policy research affiliations include the University of Tokyo, the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Japan Chair, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Peking University, Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, RAND Corporation, the University of Virginia's Miller Center, Waseda University, and the Wilson Center.

Dr. Liff holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Politics from Princeton University, a postgraduate research certificate in international politics from the University of Tokyo, and a B.A. with honors and distinction from Stanford University. A dedicated teacher, he has received multiple commendations for his role in the classroom—including IU’s Trustees Teaching Award in 2024. His personal research website is https://adampliff.com/.