Founded in 1999, the Center for Khmer Studies is an international not-for-profit institution dedicated to the study, teaching and research of Khmer civilization and the cultures of the Mekong. Linked to institutions and individual scholars worldwide, CKS seeks to promote scholarly interest in the region and to bring Khmer scholars into contact with their U.S. and international counterparts. Headquartered in a living Buddhist monastery, Wat Damnak in Siem Reap, near the historic park of Angkor, CKS provides a recognizable, common point of exchange, as well as an in-country logistical resource for scholarly undertakings. We think of ourselves as a bridge and a crossroads - a real "center".

CKS is committed to the advancement of scholarship on Khmer Studies by promoting a diversified community of researchers converging to undertake research in Cambodia. To that aim, CKS offers a diversified range of individual research fellowships and training opportunities for Cambodian, U.S. and international scholars.

CKS facilitates or directly supports in-country research projects, including those of international scholars who work collaboratively with Cambodian    scholars. In pursuit of its goal to strengthen Cambodian civil society, CKS conducts academic training programs for Cambodian scholars, international workshops and conferences, and supports a publishing and translation program, including a tri-lingual academic journal Siksacakr: The Journal of Cambodia Studies. Finally, CKS maintains the largest  academic library accessible to the public in the country outside of Phnom Penh, with over 14,500  titles. Its reading room is open to all, without charge.