Professor David McMullen

David McMullen read Oriental Studies (Chinese Studies) at St John's from 1959 to 1962, after National Service in the Royal Air Force. He researched for the doctorate under Professor E G Pulleyblank at Cambridge, with periods of study at Taiwan National University and at Harvard University. From 1968, he served in the Faculty of Oriental Studies (now the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies), as an Assistant Lecturer and Lecturer. From 1989 until retirement in 2006, he was Professor of Chinese. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1994, and also served as President of the British Association for Chinese Studies from 1985 to 1987.

His research interests are in the intellectual, institutional and religious history of the Tang dynasty in China (618-907). He has published State and Scholars in T'ang China (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988) and just under twenty long articles on aspects of Tang history, as well as shorter articles, encyclopaedia entries and book reviews.

In retirement, he continues to do research and to travel. In 2010-2011, he gave lectures in Seoul, Korea, Kuala Lumpur and the University of Southampton. In October - November 2011, he was the first scholar to visit the newly established International Academy for China Studies at Peking University, where he gave eight presentations on his own research.

David McMullen was elected a Fellow under Title A at St John's in 1967. He was elected a Teaching Fellow and served as a Tutor for ten years, from 1971 until 1981. He was Praelector from 2002 to 2005. He is at present still Chairman of the Gardens Committee. He is married, has two daughters and lives in Grantchester, south of Cambridge.