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Academia Sinica welcomes new institute president

Outgoing Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh, center, and new Academia Sinica President Wong Chi-huey, left, politely entreat each other to take the lead while Presidential Office Secretary-General Mark Chen, right, looks on during a succession ceremony held at the institute yesterday. PHOTO: CNA

Biochemist Wong Chi-huey (翁啟惠) yesterday assumed office as the ninth president of Academia Sinica, the top research institute in the country.

Wong, who was director of the institute's Genomics Research Center until Wednesday, has been recognized by world-class research institutes for his pioneering work on the elegant fusion of chemistry and biology for organic synthesis, especially of complex carbohydrates, glycoproteins and enzyme inhibitors.

Welcoming Wong as his successor, outgoing Academica Sinica president Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲), who has been in charge for the past 12 years, said Wong has the potential to earn a Nobel Prize nomination for his work.

Lee was a co-winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in chemistry.

During a ceremony marking his appointment to the post, Wong spelled out four goals to help turn Academia Sinica into a research institute on a par with the world's best.

The four goals Wong put forward were: improving the institute's research environment, expediting academic exchanges between Academia Sinica and other research institutions in Taiwan and overseas, nurturing the institute's research personnel and using the institute to upgrade Taiwan's research capacity and standards.

Three other academics were also sworn in as vice presidents yesterday: Andrew Wang (王惠鈞), Liu Chao-han (劉兆漢) and Liu Tsui-jung (劉翠溶).
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