Director of Undergraduate Studies

A Japanese man with glasses wearing a suit and tie smiles at the camera

Prof. Ryūichi Abé

Reischauer Institute Professor of Japanese Religions
Interim Director of Undergraduate Studies
Walter C. Cabot Fellowship (2024-25)

rabe@fas.harvard.edu

A warm welcome from the DUS!

Welcome, and welcome back to EAS program! I’m Ryūichi Abé (阿部龍一), Edwin O. Reischauer Institute Professor of Japanese Religions. I’ll be the EAS Director of Undergraduate Studies for the academic year 2026-27. My expertise is the study of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism, as well as Buddhist literature and visual art. I’m also interested in social science. Before I turned to Buddhist philosophy in my PhD., I was a student of Economics (BA, Keio University, Tokyo; and MA in int’l econ, S.A.I.S, the Johns Hopkins University). I don’t know much about natural science, but my son (Harvard College 2017) is a neuroscientist, and I always find his field fascinating. So, I very much look forward to meeting you all, working with you, and learning from you.

Fall 2026 office hours:
TBA