Yuan (Daniel) Cheng, associate professor in the Humphrey School's leadership and management area, has been named the School's next associate dean for research, beginning a three-year term on August 31, 2026.
He succeeds Professor Ryan Allen, who is leaving the University after nearly two decades to join the faculty at the University of Virginia School of Architecture.
"Daniel is a respected scholar and trusted colleague whose research, editorial leadership, and collaborative spirit have made a real impact across the School and the field," said Humphrey School Dean Nisha Botchwey. "As the research funding landscape evolves in significant ways, his experience and vision will help our faculty and School adapt and thrive."
As associate dean, Cheng will serve as the School's chief research officer — supporting faculty research, representing the Humphrey School in university and external research leadership forums, and advancing the School's research enterprise.
“It is my privilege to serve the Humphrey School in this new role. My research journey has been profoundly enriched and transformed by my experiences here, and I am eager to support my colleagues in the same way,” Cheng said. “Together, we will strengthen the vibrant culture and sustainable infrastructure that ensures our scholarship continues to drive meaningful change on a local, national, and global scale.”
A McKnight Presidential Fellow, Cheng's research focuses on governance, government-nonprofit relationships, and coproduction — examining how government agencies, nonprofits, and citizens collaborate to deliver public services. His recent work on evidence-based policymaking in state government, supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts, explores how public managers use and evaluate research in their decision-making.
He has published more than 35 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals, including Public Administration Review, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, and Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.
Cheng’s scholarship has earned national recognition, most recently the 2026 Louis Brownlow Award for the best article in Public Administration Review. He also received the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) Best Conference Paper Award in 2020 and Emerging Scholars Award in 2017, the Wen Wang Best Young Scholar Paper Award in 2020, and multiple Felice Davidson Perlmutter Best Paper Awards from the ARNOVA Theories, Issues, and Boundaries section.
Cheng brings deep institutional knowledge to the role. He has served as chair of the leadership and management area since 2023. He has also contributed to the School's Strategic Planning Steering Committee, Merit Review Committee, and Equity and Inclusion Council.
Beyond the Humphrey School, he served as managing editor of Public Administration Review from 2021 to 2023, giving him a broad view of the field's evolving research landscape. He is also a visiting researcher at the Gradel Institute of Charity, University of Oxford.
His funded research includes projects supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs. He currently serves on the editorial boards of Nonprofit Management and Leadership, Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership, the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, and the Chinese Public Administration Review.
Cheng earned his PhD in Public Affairs from Indiana University Bloomington. He has a Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University, Indianapolis, and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Zhejiang University in China.
"Please join me in congratulating Daniel on this appointment and in welcoming him to this important role as we continue to advance the mission of the Humphrey School," Botchwey said.
