- Ph.D. (International Development Education), Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA. 1984
- A.M. Anthropology, Stanford University, 1982
- M.P.A. (Hons.) National Institute of Development Administration, 1982
- B.A. Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University, 1965
- Multi-culturalism in modern societies
- Research methodology in social science
- Concepts and theories of ethnicity, nation, nationalism and globalization
- Local Wisdom and Sustainable Development
- Development studies, multiculturalism, ethnic relation, ethnic identity, cross-border issues, knowledge and power, health social science, resource management, regionalization of development in the Mekong sub-region.
- Corbera, Esteve, Hunsberger, Carol, Vaddhanaphuti, Chayan. (2017). “Climate change mitigation, land grabbing and conflict: towards a landscape-based and collaborative action research agenda”. Canadian Journal of Development Studies. Volume 38 Issue 3, pp. 297- 304.
- Chayan Vaddhanaphuti, Malee Sitthikriengkrai, Charlotte Trenk-Hinterberger, Penpit Changakrum, Orraya Chawna, Thanyaporn Khunrat . (2017- 2019). Negotiating Development, Imaging Communities: Towards Local Solutions to Land Conflicts among Ethnic Communities and State Authorities in Thailand. Center for Ethnic Studies and Development (CESD), Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University. 217 pages.
- Vaddhanaphuti, Chayan. (Ed.). (2016) “ASEAN Connectivity”. Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University. 192 pages.