September 5, 2023

Asia Society Switzerland is delighted to announce that Dr. Simona Grano, a leading China and Taiwan specialist, has been nominated TOY Senior Fellow at Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis (CCA) in New York. Simona is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Zurich, with a focus on Chinese and Taiwanese studies. The Fellowship is made possible with the generous support of Max and Monique Burger, Hong Kong & TOY family.

As part of her Fellowship, which will run from September 2023 to February 2024, Dr. Grano will provide insights and analysis on the run up to the Taiwanese presidential elections of January 13, 2024. Her research focus will be both on the domestic policy issues shaping the electoral contest as well as on the geopolitical dimension of the elections.

Dr. Grano will discuss her research on Taiwan at several upcoming Asia Society events, including at an Executive Roundtable on September 26 in Zurich and at Asia Society Switzerland’s flagship conference STATE OF ASIA on November 22 in Zurich.

Dr. Grano has held research positions and taught China Studies and Taiwan Studies at Ca' Foscari University of Venice in Italy, at the University of Zurich in Switzerland and at National Cheng'chi University in Taiwan. She is a research fellow of the European Research Center on Contemporary Taiwan (ERCCT) in Tübingen, Germany, and a research associate of SOAS, London. She regularly contributes to Swiss and global media through articles, commentaries and interviews and is often consulted by various Swiss governmental organs regarding the situation between China and Taiwan and Switzerland’s strategic options.

She is the author of Environmental Governance in Taiwan: a new generation of activists and stakeholders, published in 2015 by Routledge. Her articles have appeared in the Journal of Civil Society, Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, China Information, Asiatische Studien, Taiwan in Comparative Perspective, Orizzonte Cina and International Journal of Taiwan Studies. Her latest co-edited volume: China-US Competition: Impact on Small and Middle Powers' Strategic Choices, was published by Palgrave Macmillan in January 2023.
Simona Grano completed her Ph.D. in Chinese Studies at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy in 2008.

For media or speaker inquiries to Dr. Grano in connection with the TOY Fellowship, please contact Rebecca Farner at [email protected].

About Asia Society Switzerland

Asia Society Switzerland is an independent Swiss foundation dedicated to Asia. Our mission is to foster Asia Competence and prepare Switzerland for a deeper and more sustainable engagement with Asia.   

We are part of the global Asia Society network with 16 offices around the world, including 7 in Asia. Asia Society was founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller III. Our global network gives us unparalleled access to international speakers and experts on a broad range of Asia issues.   

Asia Society Switzerland was founded in 2016 and is financed entirely out of Switzerland. We have a dedicated team of 7 people in Zurich, ensuring that our programs are relevant and tailored to a Swiss audience.    

Asia Society Switzerland is committed to hosting the “board level conversations” on Asia: Our program offers a 360-degree view focused not just on business, but on big shifts and interdependencies. 

About the Center for China Analysis at Asia Society

Founded in 2022 as part of the Asia Society Policy Institute, the Center for China Analysis (CCA) is a global leader in unravelling China’s complexities to deliver independent policy-relevant analysis on China’s politics, economy, foreign policy, and society. 

Given the Policy Institute’s global presence and diverse expertise, the Center is uniquely positioned to provide in-depth research and analysis on key China-related developments of central importance to the future.

Employing an array of full-time staff and research fellows, the Center’s work covers five major pillars of analysis on China:

• Domestic Politics;  
• Economy and Technology; 
• Foreign Policy and National Security; 
• Climate, Energy, and Environment; and 
• Contemporary Chinese Society, Culture, Public Health, and Education. 

Presenting consistently independent and objective analysis with policy impact, the Center for China Analysis prioritizes Chinese language source material, emphasizes third-country analyses of China’s international engagement, and actively engages with counterpart institutions around the world.