The Sigur Center for Asian Studies is a university research institute and the academic home of the Asian Studies Program of the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University.

Its mission is to increase the quality and broaden the scope of scholarly research and publication on Asia, promote US-Asian scholarly interaction and educate a new generation of students, scholars, analysts, and policymakers. The Sigur Center promotes research and policy analysis on Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia through an active program of publishing, teaching, public events, and policy engagement. Together with the GW Institute for Korean Studies, the Sigur Center supports the University’s East Asia National Resource Center, a Title VI-supported center of academic excellence.

The Center offers students the largest Asian Studies program in the Washington, DC metropolitan region, with approximately 68 faculty members working on Asia.

The Center was founded in 1991 out of the Sino-Soviet Institute. It was named for Gaston Sigur (1924-1995), a Japan specialist with a long career at the George Washington University, the National Security Council, and the U.S. Department of State. It has enjoyed status as a signature program of the university since 2003 and is currently led by Director Eric T. Schluessel.