Stuart Chandler obtained his PhD in comparative religion from Harvard University in spring 2000 and joined IUP's faculty that fall. His area of concentration is the religions of China and Japan, especially Buddhism. Chandler's book Establishing a Pure Land on Earth: The Foguang Buddhist Perspectives on Modernization and Globalization was published by University of Hawaii Press in 2004. He has written numerous articles, chapters, and encyclopedia entries.
In addition to studying Chinese Buddhism, Chandler conducts research on the evolving religious landscape of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø. His exhibit "Eastern Religions Come to Western ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø" was shown at IUP (2005), Thiel College (2006), and the Bryn Athyn Museum (2007 and 2008). This exhibit focused on the Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, and Sikh traditions as they are being practiced in the Pittsburgh region.
Chandler's current project is the translation of the memoirs of a woman by the name of Oishi Junkyo, who was a geisha, artist, and Buddhist nun in early twentieth-century Japan.
Courses regularly taught by Chandler include Buddhism, Topics in the Study of Buddhism, Eastern Philosophy, and Religions of China and Japan.
Chandler serves as the director of the university's Critical Languages Program and was formerly the director of IUP's Asian Studies program.