Numata Visiting Professor in Buddhist Studies
In recognition of the strong Buddhist Studies program in the Faculty of Religious Studies, the Numata Foundation has given a 20-year grant to the Faculty to bring a visiting scholar in Buddhist Studies to McGill each year.
The visiting professor teaches one course at the 500 level, gives a public lecture, and is available to students for conferences and consultation.
The first Numata Professor, in 1999–2000, was Dr. Mahinda Deegalle (Ph.D., Chicago), a Theravada Buddhist Sri Lankan monk. Subsequent visiting professors have included Dr. John Pettit, Professor Robert Morrison, Dr. Thupten Jinpa, Dr. Kate Crosby, Ven. Yifa, Dr. Robert Kritzer, Dr. Andrew Skilton, Dr. Joel Tatelman, Dr. Miriam Levering, Dr. Hiroko Kawanami, Dr. Dorji Wangchuk, Dr. Martin Adam, Dr. Jin Park, Dr. Roger Jackson, and Dr. Burkhard Scherer.
The visiting professor for 2015–2016 is Dr. Andre van der Braak.