Lifelong distinguished professor at the Institute of Applied Mechanics, National Taiwan University, Professor Kuang-Chong Wu officially began his position as president of NARLabs on August 1, 2020.
After receiving his Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Cornell University in 1985, he returned to Taiwan the following year and joined the Institute of Applied Mechanics at National Taiwan University (NTU), where he served as deputy director, then as director. Wu had also taken up the mantle of several well-respected positions, including director of the NTU Nano-Electro-Mechanical-System (NEMS) Research Center, chief editor of the Journal of Mechanics, vice-president of NARLabs, chairman of the Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Republic of China (STAM), and executive director of the Taiwan National Energy Program - Phase II. His research fields consist of anisotropic elasticity, elastic wave propagation and failure mechanics, and has also been awarded the Sun Fangduo Medal and a fellowship at STAM. Other honorable mentions include the NTU’s Outstanding Teaching Award, and both of National Science Council’s Outstanding Research Award and Distinguished Researcher Award.
Having served both as the vice president of NARLabs twice from 2006 to 2012 and from 2017 to 2020, and as acting president since June 2020, President Wu is very well-acquainted with this institute.
He has argued that NARLabs’ basic mission is to build an R&D platform which supports academic research. Looking towards the future, the institution will continue to optimize the scientific research of each lab center, aiding the academic community in applying their original ideas into technologies and products. NARLabs will also work hand-in-hand with the "Six Core Strategic Industries" policy proposed by President Tsai Ing-wen, which calls for the development of information and digital industries, information security industries, biological and medical technology industries, national defense and strategic industries, green power and renewable energy industries, the civil and strategic assets industry, along with the six developmental axes suggested by Minister Tsung-tsong Wu of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). The aim of such cooperation is to strengthen the biotechnology and medical industry, develop a generation A semiconductor plan, promote digitalization, develop a 6G network, strengthen information communication security, develop forward-looking networks, and actively participate in any planning-related endeavors. Such goals will make good use of NARLab centers’ capabilities in R&D and talent training, thereby promoting the development of industrial technologies and cultivate the necessary scientific and technical talent in Taiwan. Regarding the operational tasks of the Shalun Smart Green Energy Science City-Zone C entrusted to NARLabs by the Ministry of Science and Technology, President Wu hopes to transform the area into an ecosystem of innovation that integrates teams in industry, education and research both domestic and foreign. By constructing a digitally innovative integrated platform, NARLabs will pROVide one-stop services for industrial digitalization.
President Kuang-Chong Wu was acting president of NARLabs until July 31st after Professor Yeong-Her Wang had completed his term on May 31.
