【94th Anniversary】NCKU Presents 2025 K.T. Li Technology and Literature Lectureships Awards, Honoring Eight Outstanding Scholars in Research and Industry–Academia Collaboration
Written by Amber Tyan. Image credit to NCKU News Center.
Group Photo of the 2025 (Academic Year 114) K.T. Li Technology and Literature Lectureships Awards Recipients and Presenters
From left: Associate Professor Sheng-Heng Chung, Professor Pin-Chieh Wu, Distinguished Professor Yeong-Her Wang, Chair Professor Yu-Long Lo, NCKU President Meng-Ru Shen, Delta Electronics Senior Vice President Shou-Feng Chin, Distinguished Professor Shih-Kang Lin, Distinguished Professor Chen-Kuei Chung, Professor Chuan-Feng Shih, and Professor Chia-Hsiang Lin.
On the 10th of November, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) held the 2025 K.T. Li Technology and Literature Lectureships Awards ceremony at the Ge-Chi Hall on the Cheng-Kung Campus. President Meng-Ru Shen and Shou-Feng Chin, Senior Vice President of Delta Electronics, jointly presented the awards to eight outstanding scholars, who received one of the following honors: the K.T. Li Honorary Scholar Award, the K.T. Li Research Award, or the K.T. Li Gold Quality Award.
The K.T. Li Technology and Literature Lectureships Awards recognised eight outstanding scholars: the three recipients of the K.T. Li Honorary Scholar Awards were Chair Professor Yu-Lung Lo from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Distinguished Professor Yeong-Her Wang from the Department of Electrical Engineering, and Distinguished Professor Shih-Kang Lin from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. The K.T. Li Research Award went to Associate Professor Sheng-Heng Chung from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Professor Chia-Hsiang Lin from the Department of Electrical Engineering, and Professor Pin-Chieh Wu from the Department of Photonics. Finally, the Gold Award was presented to Distinguished Professor Chen-Kuei Chung of Mechanical Engineering and Professor Chuan-Feng Shih of Electrical Engineering.
President Meng-Ru Shen expressed gratitude for the deep support and affection that Delta Electronics founder, alumnus Mr. Bruce Cheng, has shown toward his alma mater.
The award ceremony was held at Ge-Chi Hall, a site of rich historical legacy. President Meng-Ru Shen expressed gratitude to Mr. Bruce C.H. Cheng, founder of Delta Electronics and NCKU alumnus, for his long-standing support and affection for his alma mater. More than 30 years ago, Mr. Bruce Cheng pioneered the idea of donating company shares to NCKU and using the dividends to fund scholarships for outstanding faculty and students—motivating himself to continue managing Delta successfully so he could keep giving back. President Shen praised Cheng's spirit of repaying gratitude as deeply inspiring.
Delta Electronics Senior Vice President Shou-Feng Chin extended his heartfelt congratulations to all the award-winning scholars on behalf of Delta Electronics founder, Mr. Bruce Cheng.
The K.T. Li Technology and Literature Lectureships Awards was established through a donation made by Mr. Bruce Cheng—founder of Delta Electronics and a distinguished NCKU alumnus—and has now entered its 24th year. Representing founder Mr. Bruce Cheng, Senior Vice President Shou-Feng Chin conveyed heartfelt congratulations to all awardees, recognizing them for their long-term dedication to research and well-deserved success. He encouraged the scholars to continue advancing their fields and to contribute their knowledge to the university, society, and the nation.
The three awardees of the K.T. Li Honorary Scholar Awards were Chair Professor Yu-Lung Lo from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Distinguished Professor Yeong-Her Wang from the Department of Electrical Engineering, and Distinguished Professor Shih-Kang Lin from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
K. T. Li Honorary Scholar awardee, Prof. Yu-Lung Lo (center), Department of Mechanical Engineering.
K. T. Li Honorary Scholar Awardee, Chair Prof. Yu-Lung Lo
Professor Yu-Lung Lo's research spans laser processing, biophotonic precision measurement, and metal 3D printing. His work has garnered significant recognition, earning him a place on Elsevier's global Top 2% Scientists list for both Lifetime Scientific Impact and Annual Scientific Impact for five consecutive years since 2021. He has led multiple key NSTC-funded projects, including the development of intelligent laser-processing systems and critical technologies for aluminum-alloy laser welding. He also established the Metal 3D Printing Laboratory, actively advancing the integration of academic research with industrial applications.
Professor Yu-Lung Lo expressed his gratitude to NCKU and Delta Electronics for establishing the K.T. Li Technology and Literature Lectureships Awards, affirming Mr. K. T. Li’s vision of balancing technological advancement with humanistic values. He emphasized that technology must ultimately serve society and benefit the public—a belief he has always upheld: bringing the light of science into everyday life and driving technological progress that fosters shared prosperity between industry and society. He thanked his department, college, and research team for their support, passion, and persistence, which have enabled continuous breakthroughs in both experiments and theory.
“The path of scientific research is never walked alone—every step forward is a collective effort,” he said, dedicating the honor to NCKU students and encouraging them to stay curious, embrace innovation, and carry NCKU’s brilliance onto the global stage.
K. T. Li Honorary Scholar awardee, Distinguished Professor Yeong-Her Wang(center), Department of Electrical Engineering.
K. T. Li Honorary Scholar Awardee, Distinguished Professor Yeong-Her Wang
Distinguished Professor Yeong-Her Wang has long been a leading figure in compound semiconductor research, guiding his team in extending Moore’s Law by enhancing chip performance through heterogeneous integration technologies. Over the past decade, he has presented numerous forward-looking breakthroughs at top international semiconductor conferences such as IEDM and VLSI, and he holds more than one hundred domestic and international patents, establishing himself as a pioneer of compound semiconductor research in Taiwan. He has led major projects funded by the NSTC, the TSMC–NCKU Joint Research Center, and TSMC’s advanced research programs, with cumulative funding exceeding NT$100 million—an exemplar of transforming outstanding academic research into impactful industrial applications.
As a 2005 K.T. Li Gold Quality Award recipient, Distinguished Professor Yeong-Her Wang recalled receiving the award from alumnus Mr. Bruce Cheng and expressing at that time his wish to one day receive further honors from him. Remarkably, it took 20 years for that wish to come true—a deeply meaningful gift for him as he approaches retirement. This recognition not only affirms his long-term dedication to academic research but also acknowledges the hard work and outstanding achievements of his research team. He expressed gratitude to his team, collaborators, and family for their support, noting, “This honor will serve as a vital motivation for me to continue advancing and contributing to society.”
K. T. Li Honorary Scholar awardee, Distinguished Professor Shih-Kang Lin(center), Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
K. T. Li Honorary Scholar Awardee, Distinguished Professor Shih-Kang Lin
Distinguished Professor Shih-Kang Lin specializes in materials thermodynamics, phase equilibrium, and interfacial stability. He is among the few international scholars who combine computational materials science with critical experiments to develop new materials and processes, with research of significant industrial relevance. In addition to collaborating with Mitsubishi Materials Corporation in Japan, he has led industry–academia projects in advanced technologies totaling over NT$200 million, working with China Steel Corporation to develop low-carbon ironmaking techniques. Over more than a decade of teaching, he has devoted himself to talent cultivation, with two of his former students now teaching at top universities in Taiwan, reflecting his substantial contribution to developing high-level professionals.
Distinguished Professor Shih-Kang Lin expressed his honor at receiving the K. T. Li Honorary Scholar recognition alongside Vice Dean of the College of Engineering, Prof. Yu-Lung Lo and Prof. Yeong-Her Wang, and praised alumnus Mr. Bruce Cheng for his unwavering support and affection for NCKU. Reflecting on his 15 years of teaching at NCKU, Lin noted his dedication to research and education, striving for knowledge innovation and talent cultivation, with the hope that his academic work can help address global challenges such as carbon emissions and climate change. He thanked his family, students, and assistants for their support—especially his wife, who returned from the U.S. to join him in Tainan when he first came to teach at NCKU. “We will continue to uphold the spirit of using science to benefit society and contribute to the greater good,” he said.
The K.T. Li Research Award went to Associate Professor Sheng-Heng Chung from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Professor Chia-Hsiang Lin from the Department of Electrical Engineering, and Professor Pin-Chieh Wu from the Department of Photonics.
K.T. Li Research awardee, Associate Professor Sheng-Heng Chung(center), Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
K.T. Li Research Awardee, Associate Professor Sheng-Heng Chung
Associate Professor Sheng-Heng Chung’s research focuses on next-generation high-energy-density metal–sulfur batteries, covering technologies such as three-dimensional electrodes, solid-state electrolytes, and metal/sulfur nanomaterials. His work in lithium–sulfur batteries ranks fourth globally in research impact and has placed him among the Elsevier’s Top 2% Scientists list for both Lifetime Scientific Impact and Annual Scientific Impact. He has published over 100 international journal papers, accumulating more than 15,000 citations. Actively engaged in academic service, he has served as a reviewer for over 100 journals, handling more than 2,000 manuscript reviews and editing 50 papers, demonstrating outstanding international scholarly influence.
Associate Professor Sheng-Heng Chung expressed his gratitude for the recognition conferred by the K.T Li Research Award. Since the establishment of his research team in 2019, their academic and scientific achievements have continually advanced, reaching a milestone this month with the publication of over 100 papers—a benchmark that underscores Taiwan’s growing influence in lithium–sulfur battery research in terms of quality, quantity, and international impact. He especially thanked the university for its support, senior colleagues in his department for their guidance, and collaborators across disciplines. He also acknowledged the Industry–Academia Innovation Center for its professional assistance in patent research and strategy, which has helped translate advanced technological research into practical industrial applications, ensuring that scientific achievements benefit society and create lasting value.
K.T. Li Research awardee, Professor Chia-Hsiang Lin(center), Department of Electrical Engineering.
K.T. Li Research Awardee, Professor Chia-Hsiang Lin
Professor Chia-Hsiang Lin specializes in electrical engineering, with a particular focus on the development and application of quantum AI technologies. He developed a quantum AI system for hyperspectral satellites that integrates quantum computing with deep neural networks, successfully applying it to restore satellite imagery for NASA and opening new possibilities in hyperspectral space remote sensing. Building on this foundation, he has expanded “quantum AI” into “quantum generative AI,” enabling diverse applications in areas such as weather forecasting and SDG e-paper technologies, continually driving innovation in quantum AI.
Professor Chia-Hsiang Lin, this year’s Research Award recipient, had just received notice of his promotion to full professor the previous month, marking a double celebration. He noted that students in the Department of Electrical Engineering demonstrate exceptional practical skills, consistently realizing his research ideas quickly, which has allowed him to compete with top international IEEE researchers in publication speed. Over the past three years, his students have produced more than 20 papers in IEEE Transactions journals. He expressed gratitude for the outstanding contributions of current PhD students and the full support of administrative colleagues. “The solitude of deeply researching a topic is something only the researcher truly understands,” he said, expressing particular thanks to his family for their support, to his department for nurturing him, and to Prof. Soon-Jyh Chang, Chairman of the Taiwan IC Design Society for his care and encouragement.
K.T. Li Research awardee, Professor Pin-Chieh Wu(center), Department of Photonics.
K.T. Li Research Awardee, Professor Pin-Chieh Wu
Professor Pin-Chieh Wu specializes in metasurface optics, applying fundamental physical principles to low-profile optical components and advancing technologies such as wavefront manipulation, full-color vector holography, and compact light source control. Since joining NCKU in 2019, he has published over 40 papers in top international journals including Nature Communications and Advanced Materials, with more than 12,500 citations. He has been invited to present at major conferences such as SPIE, MRS, and META, continually expanding Taiwan’s influence within the nanophotonics community.
Professor Pin-Chieh Wu expressed his gratitude to alumnus Mr. Bruce Cheng for establishing the K.T. Li Technology and Literature Lectureships Awards, which continues to encourage NCKU researchers to pursue excellence at the intersection of technology and the humanities. He noted that receiving the award affirms the long-term efforts of his team and thanked his laboratory members for their dedication and collaboration, emphasizing that every achievement is a collective accomplishment. He also expressed appreciation to the university and his department for providing a supportive research environment and resources, and to his wife for her support and patience. “I will continue to advance cutting-edge research in optoelectronics and metasurface optics, contributing wholeheartedly to Taiwan’s scientific development,” he said.
This year, the K. T. Li Gold Quality Award, which recognizes NCKU faculty for outstanding achievements in patents, inventions, or technology transfer, was awarded to Distinguished Professor Chen-Kuei Chung of Mechanical Engineering and Professor Chuan-Feng Shih of Electrical Engineering.
K.T. Li Gold Quality awardee, Distinguished Professor Chen-Kuei Chung(center), Department of Mechanical Engineering.
K.T. Li Gold Quality Awardee, Distinguished Professor Chen-Kuei Chung
Distinguished Professor Chen-Kuei Chung has conducted in-depth research on nano- and micrometer-scale materials and device integration processes, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technologies. He has successfully developed innovative, highly sensitive, cost-effective, and reliable nanoporous-type SERS substrates, microneedled triboelectric nanogenerators (MN-TENG), and low-purity aluminum room-temperature anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) techniques. SERS technology has been applied for rapid detection of trace substances in food and environmental safety, with his outstanding research appearing on the covers of international journals. Since 2021, he has been recognized for five consecutive years as one of Elsevier’s Top 2% Scientists for Career Scientific Impact. He has also organized interdisciplinary scholars to propose integrated projects, promoting the application of chip-based detection across diverse fields.
Distinguished Professor Chen-Kuei Chung expressed his gratitude for receiving the Gold Quality Award. He noted that the innovative metal nanoparticle-free porus-type SERS technology originated from low-purity aluminum room-temperature anodized aluminum oxide, which, combined with semiconductor and nano-optical detection techniques, was validated over several years to develop a highly sensitive, cost-effective, and reliable SERS substrate. He described this achievement as the culmination of “many people, events, and circumstances coming together over time.” He thanked the NSTC, NCKU’s Interdisciplinary and Sustainability Program and Sprout Research Project for their support, his team and students for their collaboration, and the Innovation Headquarters for assistance in patent applications and technology promotion. Finally, he expressed appreciation to his family, particularly his wife for her moral encouragement and his parents for their exemplary guidance.
K.T. Li Gold Quality awardee, Professor Chuan-Feng Shih(center), Department of Electrical Engineering.
K.T. Li Gold Quality Awardee, Professor Chuan-Feng Shih
Professor Chuan-Feng Shih focuses on advanced applications of high-entropy materials, spanning semiconductor device technologies, optoelectronic and passive components, energy storage and magnetic materials, and high-frequency communication components. Leading his team, he has successfully developed low-cost, highly conductive, and temperature-resistant high-entropy alloy materials, which have been applied to 5G NR-band antenna components, automotive high-entropy thin-film antennas, and high-frequency filters. He actively promotes the application of innovative high-entropy materials in defense, biomedical, and semiconductor fields, establishing himself as a key driver of Taiwan’s high-entropy material and new-energy component development.
Professor Chuan-Feng Shih stated that receiving the K.T. Li Gold Quality Award is the highest honor for him. He expressed gratitude to senior colleagues in his department for their guidance and to his research team for their hard work, which enabled him to introduce high-entropy materials into his field of expertise and explore new research frontiers. In addition to support from the NSTC, NCKU offers diverse programs that actively encourage interdisciplinary collaboration. Together with like-minded professors from other schools and disciplines, he established the Applied High-Entropy Technology (AHET) Center as an industry–academia collaboration platform. Facing urgent industrial demand for new materials, he emphasized: “We have a responsibility to push this research to its peak and achieve industrialization.”
Provider:
NCKU News Center
Date:
2025-11-19