Tag: National Taiwan University

National Taiwan University (NTU) hosted 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate Prof. James E. Rothman and renowned neuroscientist Prof. Joy Hirsch from Yale University on November 5 as part of the “NTU Raymond Soong Chair Professorship of Distinguished Research” They delivered keynote lectures and joined a panel discussion, engaging NTU faculty and students in an enriching day of scientific exchange.

Prof. Rothman, known for uncovering the molecular mechanism of intracellular vesicle transport—often called the “logistics of life”—shared new findings on how synaptic vesicle fusion enables extremely rapid neurotransmission. Prof. Hirsch presented her pioneering hyperscanning research that reveals how the human brain behaves differently during real social interaction, aiming to build neuro-inspired models for human–machine communication.

During the dialogue session, both scholars encouraged young researchers to embrace challenges, maintain passion, and pursue curiosity-driven inquiry. Their visit highlights NTU’s commitment to fostering global academic connections and advancing scientific excellence through interactions with world-leading researchers.

https://www.ntu.edu.tw/spotlight/2025/2434_20251126.html

National Taiwan University (NTU) Biomedical Engineering distinguished professor Dr. Yang Tai-Hung, also Director of the Life Sciences Development Division at the National Science and Technology Council, received the 32nd TECO Award in the Biomedical/Agricultural field. The award recognizes his innovative work on polycaprolactone membranes for reparable pneumothorax, which are both effective and safe for high-risk medical applications, as well as his development of a simple and efficient system for capturing circulating tumor cells, advancing precision medicine technologies.

Dr. Yang expressed deep gratitude to his family, especially his parents, whose unwavering support and love gave him the courage to pursue his research ambitions. He emphasized that their encouragement has been a constant source of motivation throughout his solitary research journey.

He also acknowledged his mentors and over 80 graduate students, highlighting that their guidance and teamwork have been essential to his achievements. Dr. Yang noted that facing challenges with dedication and a commitment to truth allowed him to advance in his field and reach new academic heights.

https://sec.ntu.edu.tw/epaper/article.asp?num=1670&sn=39639

Researchers at National Taiwan University (NTU) have developed a new perovskite photocatalyst that integrates molecular chirality and electron spin effects to drive artificial photosynthesis. The material efficiently converts carbon dioxide into useful fuels using sunlight, offering a promising route for clean energy technologies.

The team successfully engineered left- and right-handed chiral structures within perovskite crystals, discovering that chirality induces spin polarization and enhances charge separation. This leads to higher reaction selectivity and efficiency, opening a new direction in the design of chiral optoelectronic and green catalytic materials. The breakthrough highlights the critical role of spin-controlled chemistry in solar-energy conversion.

Led by NTU Distinguished Professor Chun-Wei Chen from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the NTU-MST program, the collaboration included National Taiwan Normal University, the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, National Pingtung University, and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. The findings were published on the cover of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS):

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/jacs.5c11357

https://sec.ntu.edu.tw/epaper/article.asp?num=1668&sn=39618

National Taiwan University (NTU) has long prioritized building a resilient campus as part of its social responsibility, aiming to ensure a safe and sustainable environment for learning and research while strengthening its capacity to respond to extreme weather, earthquakes, and other emergencies. Through the multi-year Resilient Campus Project, NTU has progressively enhanced disaster preparedness and institutional response capabilities.

To strengthen campus-wide skills, NTU launched a Disaster Prevention Specialist Training Program, inviting professional instructors to equip faculty, staff, and students with practical disaster-response knowledge. This initiative improves readiness and will be expanded in the coming years to further enhance institutional resilience.

To foster leadership awareness of disaster risks, NTU invited Secretary General Li Wei-Sen of the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction to deliver a keynote at the December 31 administrative meeting. His talk, titled “Campus Disaster Preparedness from a Business Continuity Perspective,” provided insights into both domestic and international risk management practices, enabling university leaders to refine response strategies and further strengthen overall campus resilience.

https://sustainable.ntu.edu.tw/uploads/files/shares/USR-Report/NTU%202024%20USR%20Report%20(EN).pdf

The National Taiwan University (NTU) plant and animal medical team, spanning multiple departments in the College of Bioresources and Agriculture, has long partnered with Yunlin County to support local farms. By providing on-site diagnosis and consultation across 20 townships, the plant hospital helped farmers manage approximately 111 hectares of farmland, which led to an estimated NT$12.59 million in added value according to agricultural data and Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis.

The veterinary team’s interventions—including lectures, workshops, mobile diagnoses, and economic animal dissections—improved pig growth and health, thereby enhancing food safety and increasing economic benefits for local farmers. Over the year, the team completed 8,836 cases of serology, molecular biology, and pathological diagnoses, directly strengthening farm productivity and livestock welfare.

Because NTU’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Center in Yunlin provided free precision diagnostics, biosecurity guidance, and vaccination planning, farmers were able to adopt better practices. Collaborating with young farmers and the county’s only HACCP-compliant slaughterhouse enabled full cold-chain processing, which reduced transport costs and greenhouse gas emissions, stabilized pork supply and quality, and fostered a more sustainable agricultural ecosystem in Yunlin.

https://sustainable.ntu.edu.tw/uploads/files/shares/USR-Report/NTU%202024%20USR%20Report%20(EN).pdf

Professor Chen-Hao Kuo of National Taiwan University (NTU) ’s Center for Carbon Exploration Technologies collaborated with Professor Ken Tsuji from the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Engineering to study supercritical geothermal systems in Japan’s Kyushu volcanic region. Their findings, published in Communications Earth & Environment, mark a milestone in Taiwan–Japan collaboration. The team used advanced seismic reflection imaging and AI-powered data analysis developed in Taiwan to visualize the three-dimensional structure beneath volcanoes, revealing how supercritical fluids are trapped, migrate, and trigger microseismic activity.

The study identified impermeable rock layers that seal supercritical fluids at depths of 2–3 km, while fault zones act as “permeable windows” for fluid escape. Professor Kuo emphasized that monitoring is crucial for early warning systems. This breakthrough demonstrates how integrating AI with seismic exploration can overcome traditional limitations, offering new possibilities for geothermal development, disaster prevention, and renewable energy innovation.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02774-4

National Taiwan University (NTU) announced that Physics Professors Lin Min-Tsung, Kao Ying-Che, and Chiang Cheng-Wei were all elected Fellows of the American Physical Society (APS) this year. This marks the first time in NTU Physics history that three professors have received this honor simultaneously, highlighting the department’s international influence. The APS, founded in 1899, is a leading global physics organization with over 50,000 members, of whom only 0.5% are elected Fellows annually.

Professor Lin Min-Tsung specializes in surface magnetism and magnetic nanostructures. He has served as Vice Chair of the National Science Council and President of the Physical Society of Taiwan, contributing significantly to Taiwan’s physics development and international scientific collaboration. His fundamental research on interactions in low-dimensional and nanoscale magnetic systems earned him this recognition.

Professor Kao Ying-Che, an expert in condensed matter theory and strongly correlated electron systems, was recognized for his numerical studies of emergent phenomena in quantum many-body systems and for fostering collaboration between Asian and U.S. physicists.

Professor Chiang Cheng-Wei, whose research focuses on particle phenomenology, rare decays, CP violation, and physics beyond the Standard Model, was honored for both his scientific contributions and efforts to advance particle physics collaboration and education regionally and internationally.

https://udn.com/news/story/6928/9069412

A research team from National Taiwan University (NTU) , led by Postdoc Hu Xunming and Professor Shen Chuan-chou, has successfully recalculated the half-life of uranium-234, overcoming a technical bottleneck that has persisted since the 1960s. Their work extends the reliable range of uranium–thorium dating from 600,000 to 800,000 years and reduces dating errors, offering important insights for Earth sciences and human evolution. The results were published in Science Advances on October 1, 2025.

The team used advanced mass spectrometry to simulate and correct interference from uranium-238, improving the measurement precision nearly fourfold. They established uranium-234’s half-life at 245,670 ± 260 years, about 50 years longer than previous estimates. This precision allows for more accurate dating of older geological samples, including those critical for studying ancient climate cycles and early human evolution.

The new method also requires only a third of the sample material compared with traditional approaches, making it suitable for rare minerals, fossils, and archaeological artifacts. The international project involved 11 research institutions from the U.S., Australia, and Asia, supported by Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Education, and positions NTU at the forefront of high-precision geochronology.

https://www.ntu.edu.tw/spotlight/2025/2414_20251008.html

National Taiwan University (NTU) Assistant Professor Shaopu Tsai, together with Cambridge PhD Dr. Boyan Tong, led a team to develop Lattice, an AI method that “learns” crystal physics from EBSD data. Using a variational autoencoder (VAE), Lattice indexes patterns 7.5 times faster, compresses data by 99.9%, and captures rotational symmetries, effectively creating a “physics-aware” AI for crystal analysis.

In materials research, determining crystal structures is often a slow, labor-intensive process essential for linking structure to performance. Traditional electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) methods, widely used in scanning electron microscopy, face trade-offs between speed and accuracy: fast approaches like Hough transforms lack precision, while dictionary indexing and full pattern matching are highly accurate but time-consuming and resource-intensive.

The three-year project, primarily executed by NTU student Yujun Liu, has already been applied to fully recrystallized 316 stainless steel and was published in Cell Reports Physical Science. Funded by the NSC, NTU R&D, and Walsin Lihwa, the team plans to expand this physics-informed AI approach for broader materials science applications.

https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-physical-science/fulltext/S2666-3864(25)00470-9