Three NCHU Scholars Honored with NSTC Outstanding Research Award
2025-03-03
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The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has announced the recipients of this year’s Outstanding Research Award, with three professors from National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) among the awardees. The distinguished recipients are Distinguished Professor Ming-Chun Lu from the Department of Environmental Engineering, whose expertise lies in green technology development and innovative key technologies for net-zero circular economy; Distinguished Professor Ying-Chih Lai from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, an expert in flexible electronics and one of the few in Taiwan capable of establishing a laboratory integrating material development, device design, and system-level applications; and Associate Professor Yeh Chen from the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, a pioneer in the study of cyclic nucleotide signaling molecules in Taiwan, dedicated to exploring bacterial antibiotic resistance mechanisms through structural biology and developing strategies to combat antibiotic resistance.
Distinguished Professor Ming-Chun Lu specializes in green technology development across four major areas: metal and non-metal resource recycling, green advanced oxidation technologies for water and wastewater treatment, green disinfection technologies, and technologies to enhance fuel quality and combustion efficiency. His research has significantly improved energy and resource efficiency, particularly in recovering valuable metals and non-metals from wastewaters. In recent years, he has focused on key technologies for net-zero circular economy, developing carbon capture and resource reutilization technologies. Professor Lu has published over 200 SCI journal papers and holds 76 patents. His innovative achievements have not only been recognized by industry but have also contributed substantially to technological advancement and addressing complex technical challenges. In fostering international academic collaboration, Professor Lu has led efforts to establish sister school partnerships with major universities in Southeast Asia and actively promoted exchanges with globally renowned institutions, enhancing Taiwan's academic reputation on the international stage.
Distinguished Professor Ying-Chih Lai specializes in the research and development of "flexible electronics," encompassing interdisciplinary integration of soft electronics (devices), electronic skin (sensors), nanogenerators (energy), and soft robotics (mechanics). He has established one of the few laboratories in Taiwan capable of covering the full spectrum from material development and device design to system-level applications. His research, which consistently garners international recognition and media attention, includes pioneering achievements such as self-powered robotic skin, deformable robotic skin, self-healing robotic skin, sensory soft robots, electromagnetic radiation nanogenerators, and nanogenerator textiles that harvest natural energy. Professor Lai has received multiple prestigious accolades, including the NSTC 2030 International Young Scholars Award, the Outstanding Young Scholar Award from the Foundation for the Advancement of Outstanding Talent, and five NSTC Future Tech Awards. Since joining NCHU in 2016, he has published over 46 high-impact papers, with all having an impact factor exceeding 10 and an average of over 15. Of these, 31 corresponding author papers have an impact factor greater than 15, all published in top-tier journals such as Advanced Materials, Advanced Energy Materials, Nature Communications, Advanced Functional Materials, Nano Energy, and Matter. His research has been highlighted in over 166 domestic and international media reports, including a front-page interview in MIT Technology Review China, a feature in Nature Outlook, an invitation to deliver a TEDx talk, and eight journal cover features. His groundbreaking work has elevated Taiwan and NCHU's international reputation in the field of flexible electronics.
Associate Professor Yeh Chen is dedicated to exploring bacterial antibiotic resistance mechanisms through structural biology and developing new antibacterial target proteins and potential therapeutic drugs. To date, he has published over 50 research papers in leading international journals. His recent studies focus on bacterial defense systems and signaling mechanisms mediated by novel cyclic oligoadenylate molecules. In the past five years, he has published four outstanding papers in Nature Communications, elucidating how bacteria utilize novel nucleotide signaling molecules to defend against bacteriophage invasion and revealing the evolutionary homology between human antiviral immune proteins and bacterial anti-phage defense proteins. As a pioneer in the study of cyclic nucleotide signaling molecules in Taiwan, Professor Chen is also actively involved in industry-academia collaboration, leveraging his research to develop next-generation antibiotics that do not induce drug resistance, thereby making significant contributions to combating antibiotic resistance in Taiwan.
Distinguished Professor Ming-Chun Lu specializes in green technology development across four major areas: metal and non-metal resource recycling, green advanced oxidation technologies for water and wastewater treatment, green disinfection technologies, and technologies to enhance fuel quality and combustion efficiency. His research has significantly improved energy and resource efficiency, particularly in recovering valuable metals and non-metals from wastewaters. In recent years, he has focused on key technologies for net-zero circular economy, developing carbon capture and resource reutilization technologies. Professor Lu has published over 200 SCI journal papers and holds 76 patents. His innovative achievements have not only been recognized by industry but have also contributed substantially to technological advancement and addressing complex technical challenges. In fostering international academic collaboration, Professor Lu has led efforts to establish sister school partnerships with major universities in Southeast Asia and actively promoted exchanges with globally renowned institutions, enhancing Taiwan's academic reputation on the international stage.
Distinguished Professor Ying-Chih Lai specializes in the research and development of "flexible electronics," encompassing interdisciplinary integration of soft electronics (devices), electronic skin (sensors), nanogenerators (energy), and soft robotics (mechanics). He has established one of the few laboratories in Taiwan capable of covering the full spectrum from material development and device design to system-level applications. His research, which consistently garners international recognition and media attention, includes pioneering achievements such as self-powered robotic skin, deformable robotic skin, self-healing robotic skin, sensory soft robots, electromagnetic radiation nanogenerators, and nanogenerator textiles that harvest natural energy. Professor Lai has received multiple prestigious accolades, including the NSTC 2030 International Young Scholars Award, the Outstanding Young Scholar Award from the Foundation for the Advancement of Outstanding Talent, and five NSTC Future Tech Awards. Since joining NCHU in 2016, he has published over 46 high-impact papers, with all having an impact factor exceeding 10 and an average of over 15. Of these, 31 corresponding author papers have an impact factor greater than 15, all published in top-tier journals such as Advanced Materials, Advanced Energy Materials, Nature Communications, Advanced Functional Materials, Nano Energy, and Matter. His research has been highlighted in over 166 domestic and international media reports, including a front-page interview in MIT Technology Review China, a feature in Nature Outlook, an invitation to deliver a TEDx talk, and eight journal cover features. His groundbreaking work has elevated Taiwan and NCHU's international reputation in the field of flexible electronics.
Associate Professor Yeh Chen is dedicated to exploring bacterial antibiotic resistance mechanisms through structural biology and developing new antibacterial target proteins and potential therapeutic drugs. To date, he has published over 50 research papers in leading international journals. His recent studies focus on bacterial defense systems and signaling mechanisms mediated by novel cyclic oligoadenylate molecules. In the past five years, he has published four outstanding papers in Nature Communications, elucidating how bacteria utilize novel nucleotide signaling molecules to defend against bacteriophage invasion and revealing the evolutionary homology between human antiviral immune proteins and bacterial anti-phage defense proteins. As a pioneer in the study of cyclic nucleotide signaling molecules in Taiwan, Professor Chen is also actively involved in industry-academia collaboration, leveraging his research to develop next-generation antibiotics that do not induce drug resistance, thereby making significant contributions to combating antibiotic resistance in Taiwan.
