HomeDate: 2025-10-29
Academician Meng-Chao Yao passed away in the United States on October 27, 2025, at the age of 76.
Dr. Yao was an internationally renowned molecular biologist whose research focused on chromosome structure and function as well as genome instability. Using Tetrahymena as his principal model organism, he made pioneering discoveries in chromosome breakage, DNA deletion, and gene amplification. His work further elucidated the role of gene amplification in cell differentiation, carcinogenesis, and aging in human cells, opening new directions in the field.
Dr. Yao earned his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Rochester in 1975 and completed postdoctoral research at Yale University. He held positions at Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Washington, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. From 2004 to 2013, he served as Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology at Academia Sinica, where he devoted himself to nurturing research talent and strengthening collaboration across Taiwan’s academic and research institutions. He also served multiple terms as a Member of the Academia Sinica Council.
Dr. Yao’s achievements earned him wide recognition: he was elected a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and he was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus of National Taiwan University. He was elected Academician of Academia Sinica in 2006.
