The former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd has taken up a new role with the prestigious Harvard University where he will lead a major research project in to United States-China relations.

The appointment will see him split his time between Boston, Beijing and his hometown of Brisbane, in northeast Australia.

Mr Rudd, who has worked in China and speaks Mandarin, says he is delighted to be taking on a role as Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Harvard University says the former Prime Minister will bring a unique perspective to what will be one of the defining geo-political relationships of this century.