Dr. I-chung Lai is the President of the Prospect Foundation and the Executive Director of International Affairs committee of the Taichung City Government. He is also Assistant Professor at Mackay College for Medicine and Management.

Dr. Lai served as Director General for Department of International Affairs (2007-2008) and Director General for Department of China Affairs (2006-2008) in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Prior to that, he was Special Assistant for Policy to Taiwan Representative to Japan (2000-2003), Executive Director for DPP Mission in the United States (1999-2000), and Vice President of the Taiwan Thinktank (2013-2016).

He received his Ph.D. degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) and was Visiting Researcher at Cornell University.