Scholar in Residence 2026

ERSTE Foundation - Winter 2025 1 – 31 March 2026

During his residency, Jason Liu proposes a media project focusing on two core questions: how civil society organisations and independent media sustain democratic operations and societal resilience under wartime conditions, and what models of cooperation between military and civilian actors are emerging in Ukraine.

To address these questions, Liu will conduct extensive field interviews and workplace observations in Lviv and other relevant locations. He also aims to document how military–civilian collaboration has taken shape over the past four years, from the manufacture of drone components and the training of drone pilots to mechanisms for raising military funds and organising IT Army volunteers etc.

Liu plans to bring these insights back to Taiwan through in-depth reporting and a book that foregrounds the voices and experiences of those who have lived through such transformations.

Jason Liu

Jason Liu is a Taiwanese journalist, podcatser, and nonfiction writer focusing on war, disinformation, and democratic resilience. Since the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he has been reporting extensively from the ground, conducting in-depth interviews with policymakers, soldiers, civil-society leaders, and frontline communities across Ukraine. His long-form reporting spans multiple media formats — print, documentary video, podcasts, and investigative series — and his works have been recognised with awards including Best International Reporting in Taiwan and the region.

Beyond Ukraine, Jason has reported from Asia and Europe tracing how democratic societies confront hybrid threats and information warfare. He is the author of two nonfiction books on media, democracy, and contemporary conflicts, and he continues to follow Russia’s information operations and global influence networks as a core area of research. His upcoming month-long fellowship in Ukraine will further develop this line of inquiry through cross-media storytelling and strategic-communications reporting.