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Academia Sinica held a welcome and farewell tea reception on August 14 for the incoming and outgoing Executive Secretary and Deputy Executive Secretaries of the Central Academic Advisory Council, presided over by President Chien-Jen Chen. Effective August 17, Academician Ruey-Hwa Chen will serve as Executive Secretary. Dr. Cheng-Ting Chien and Dr. Siao-Chen Hu will serve as Deputy Executive Secretaries for the Division of Life Sciences and the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, respectively. Outgoing Executive Secretary Kay-Hooi Khoo and Deputy Executive Secretaries Shu-Hsing Wu and Miaw-Fen Lu will conclude their terms.

The Central Academic Advisory Council oversees Academia Sinica’s academic development, including long-term planning, academic review, and domestic and international collaboration. President Chen expressed his gratitude to the outgoing team for taking on institutional responsibilities alongside their demanding research commitments and contributing their expertise. He also encouraged the incoming team to build on this foundation, bring together research strengths across Academia Sinica, and help shape its future academic development. President Chen emphasized that one of Academia Sinica’s greatest strengths is its academic community, built through the collective efforts of scholars across disciplines and generations. At the heart of academic governance, he noted, is service to this community and the creation of a research environment that enables scholars to explore freely and pursue bold innovation.

Passing on Expertise and Experience to Advance Academia Sinica’s Academic Development

Outgoing Executive Secretary Dr. Kay-Hooi Khoo, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute of Biological Chemistry, received his Ph.D. from Imperial College, University of London. He has long pursued research in biochemistry, glycomics, proteomics, and mass spectrometry. As Executive Secretary since 2019, he has introduced new approaches to strengthen Academia Sinica’s academic review system and refine mechanisms for researcher evaluation, promotion, recognition, and research proposal review, laying a strong foundation for academic governance.

Incoming Executive Secretary Academician Ruey-Hwa Chen, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute of Biological Chemistry, received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Michigan State University. Her research focuses on cancer-related signal transduction and protein modification, with particular attention to tumor-suppressive and oncogenic mechanisms in cancer tissues. Academician Chen has received numerous honors, including the Academic Award from the Ministry of Education and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Award in Biology, and was elected an Academician of Academia Sinica in 2026.

Outgoing Deputy Executive Secretary for the Division of Life Sciences Dr. Shu-Hsing Wu, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, received her Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the University of California, Davis. Her research focuses on how plants perceive light signals and regulate gene expression in plant growth, development, and adaptation. Dr. Wu has extensive academic administrative experience. She has served as Director of Academia Sinica’s Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Convenor of the Biology Discipline at the National Science and Technology Council, President of the Asia and Oceania Society for Photobiology, and President of the Taiwan Society of Plant Biologists. She previously served as Deputy Executive Secretary from 2016 to 2018 and returned to the role in 2025.

Incoming Deputy Executive Secretary for the Division of Life Sciences Dr. Cheng-Ting Chien, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute of Molecular Biology, received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. His research focuses on nervous system development, including neurogenesis and the differentiation and connectivity of dendrites and axons. Dr. Chien has received several honors, including the Franco-Taiwanese Scientific Grand Prize and the Academic Award from the Ministry of Education. He has led Academia Sinica’s neuroscience research program and served as Deputy Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and President of the Taiwan Neuroscience Society.

Outgoing Deputy Executive Secretary for the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Dr. Miaw-Fen Lu, Research Fellow at the Institute of Modern History, received her Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research focuses on the intellectual and cultural history of late imperial China, particularly Neo-Confucianism. Her recent work explores Confucian views of life and death and interactions between Confucianism and Christianity. Dr. Lu previously served as Director of the Institute of Modern History and Convenor of the History Discipline at the National Science and Technology Council. Since becoming Deputy Executive Secretary in 2021, she has helped establish the Academia Sinica Fellowships for Doctoral Candidates in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Incoming Deputy Executive Secretary for the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Dr. Siao-Chen Hu, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Literature and Philosophy, received her Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University. Her research spans Ming-Qing narrative literature, late Qing and early Republican literature, and women’s literature. Through nuanced textual analysis and a broad cultural perspective, her scholarship deepens our understanding of literary, social, and cultural transformations. Dr. Hu previously served as Director of the Institute of Chinese Literature and Philosophy and brings extensive academic and administrative experience to her new role. Her expertise will help advance the role of humanities research at Academia Sinica.