Taipei: The Presidential Office has announced the appointment of former Vice President Chen Chien-jen as the next president of Academia Sinica, commencing a five-year term from June 21, 2026, through June 20, 2031. Chen will succeed James C. Liao, whose term concludes in June.
According to Focus Taiwan, the announcement followed a recent session of the Academia Sinica Council, which shortlisted the top three candidates and sent their names to President Lai Ching-te for the final decision. Chen, an alumnus of National Taiwan University's Department of Animal Science and Technology, later received a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University in the United States.
Chen has held significant roles at Academia Sinica, including serving as a distinguished research fellow in the Genomics Research Center starting in 2006 and as vice president from 2011 to 2015. He is renowned in the fields of epidemiology, human genetics, public health, and preventive medicine, with international recognition for his research on blackfoot disease, chronic arsenic poisoning, hepatitis B, and liver cancer, which has influenced global clinical guidelines.
Outside academia, Chen has occupied various key positions. He was head of the National Science and Technology Council and chief of the Department of Health, which evolved into the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Additionally, he served as Taiwan's vice president from 2016 to 2020 and as premier from 2023 to 2024.
Academia Sinica, established in 1928, is Taiwan's premier national academic institution, comprising 24 institutes and nine research centers across three divisions: the Mathematics and Physical Sciences Division, Life Sciences Division, and Division of Humanities and Social Sciences.