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The Awards Ceremony for the Academia Sinica Early-Career Investigator Research Achievement Award and the Scholarly Monograph Award in the Humanities and Social Sciences was held on December 1. Six scholars and five monographs were selected for awards, which were presented by Academia Sinica President James C. Liao. President Liao remarked that there are few national-level awards in Taiwan established for scholars early in their careers. Academia Sinica Early-Career Investigator Research Achievement Award has continued recognizing research talent and encouraging young people to engage in innovative and frontier research for 30 years. The Scholarly Monograph Award in the Humanities and Social Sciences, on the other hand, recognizes books that demonstrate outstanding research and ground-breaking insights. It contributes to Taiwan’s scholarly advancement in areas such as history, culture, social development, and public policy. This year marks the first time that the two awards have been presented in a joint ceremony, deepening academic exchange and interdisciplinary dialogue and demonstrates the efforts to support diverse research talents and expand the frontiers of academic research in Taiwan.

Early-Career Investigator Research Achievement Award: Six Young Scholars Honored

This year, the awardees of the “Academia Sinica Early-Career Investigator Research Achievement Award” are Associate Professor Tung-Han Yang of the Department of Chemical Engineering at National Tsing Hua University (along with five researchers from Academia Sinica), Associate Research Fellow Chien-Yao Wang (Institute of Information Science), Associate Research Fellow Sheng-Hung Chen (Institute of Molecular Biology), Associate Research Fellow Ling-Wei Kung (Institute of History and Philology), Associate Research Fellow Chih-Hsin Sheen (Institute of Political Science), and Associate Research Fellow Han Yang (Institute of Economics). The awardees’ research spans materials science, artificial intelligence, cell biology, media politics, and global economics, showcasing the research prowess and interdisciplinary potential of young Taiwanese scholars.

Dr. Tung-Han Yang successfully pioneered a new paradigm for the design and application of high-entropy alloy nanocrystals, establishing global leadership in the field of multi-metallic catalysis and delivering breakthrough advancements in energy conversion material design. Dr. Chien-Yao Wang utilized innovative neural network design and representation learning methods to advance real-time object detection and leading edge AI development, with his open-source code having been cited over 50,000 times. Dr. Sheng-Hung Chen identified a key systemic mechanism between redox dynamics and ferroptosis, offering a new direction for cancer cell clearing strategies. Dr. Ling-Wei Kung excels at using multilingual historical sources and digital humanities techniques to study the circulation of information between China and the Inner Asian frontiers during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Dr. Chih-Hsin Sheen employs game theory and causal inference to analyze media politics in democratic and authoritarian regimes, exploring the possibility of disseminating fake news to maintain the stability of rule. Dr. Han Yang established a large-scale dynamic quantitative trade model to analyze structural shocks and uncertainty within the global economic system.

The “Academia Sinica Early-Career Investigator Research Achievement Award” was established in 1995. This year, 96 applications were received, all of which underwent preliminary review, initial review, and secondary review, with the final list being decided by a joint conference. Each awardee will receive an NT$300,000 prize and an NT$300,000 research grant, along with a plaque.

Advancing Humanities and Social Sciences Research: Five Monographs Honored with Awards

Five books were selected for this year’s award, two in Mandarin and three in English, covering fields such as Chinese literature, linguistics, English literature, history, and political science. Specific topics include modern Chinese classical poetry, indigenous languages, women’s interactions with modern technology, social participation of Southern Song elites, and an analysis of legislative violence from a contemporary political science perspective.

Dr. Nathan F. Batto, Associate Research Fellow at the Institute of Political Science, Academia Sinica, received the award for his work Making Punches Count: The Individual Logic of Legislative Brawls. He indicated that eliminating legislative violence must begin with understanding why legislators brawl in the first place and hopes that Taiwan’s democracy will continue to mature. Dr. Kuan-Chung Huang, Adjunct Research Fellows at the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, was honored for Living Locally, Thinking Nationally: The Life and Ideals of Liu Zai, a Local Literatus of the Southern Song. He indicated that having the opportunity to initiate and complete this long-gestating project in the later years of his academic life has been a challenging yet profoundly rewarding journey.

Professor Chia-Cian Ko of the Department of Chinese Literature at National Taiwan University received the award for his work Maritime Poetry Road: East Asian Routes and Nanyang Mesology. He noted that scholarly writing in the humanities is often niche and solitary, making the warmth and encouragement brought by the recognition of this award especially meaningful. Professor Chun-Mei Chen of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at National Chung Hsing University was honored for Mixed Emotions and Indigenous Language Maintenance in Post-Disaster Reconstruction Communities. She indicated that her long-term engagement with post-disaster communities has allowed her to witness the profound sense of loss felt by displaced peoples, the resilience shown in rebuilding, and the complex emotions carried by language as a vehicle of continuity.

Dr. Yin-I Chen, Chair Professor in the Department of English at National Chengchi University, received the award for The New Woman and Technologies of Speed in Fin-de-Siecle Literature. She expressed her gratitude to Academia Sinica for recognizing the value of long-term scholarly dedication and monograph writing, noting that, at a time when the research in the humanities face challenges, the critical thinking, analytical skills, empathy, and narrative imagination fostered by the humanities remain indispensable forces driving human progress.

The Scholarly Monograph Award in the Humanities and Social Sciences is a major award in Taiwan’s humanities and social sciences. This year, 48 submissions were received, and after rigorous review, five monographs of originality and depth were selected. Each awardee will receive an NT$600,000 prize along with a plaque.