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Academia Sinica announced today (September 19, 2024) that Academician Chin-shing Huang, former Vice President in the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, has stepped down due to health issues. Distinguished Research and Academician Shin-Kun Peng will be appointed as the new Vice President. The Secretary-General position, previously held by Academician Shin-Kun Peng, has now been assumed by Deputy Secretary-General Chun-Houh Chen.

President James C. Liao expressed gratitude for Academician Huang’s years of dedicated service as Vice President of the Humanities and Social Sciences Division since 2016, following President Liao’s return to Taiwan to assume the role of President. During his tenure as Vice President, Academician Huang has been committed to promoting academic research and international collaboration, strongly supporting the strategic planning of the Division, and actively cultivating the next generation of scholars. President Liao also invited colleagues to continue supporting newly appointed Vice President Shin-Kun Peng and Secretary-General Chun-Houh Chen as they work together to promote the development of the institution’s affairs.

Former Vice President Huang holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University and is an internationally renowned scholar of early modern Chinese intellectual history and religious cultural history. He is particularly known for his research on Confucian temples. His academic pursuits also extend to both Chinese and Western historiographical theories and the history of historiography. He joined the Institute of History and Philology at Academia Sinica in 1983 and was elected as Academician in 2008. During his tenure as Vice President, he also served as Chair of the Pacific Neighborhood Consortium, playing a pivotal role in establishing Academia Sinica as a global center of excellence in the humanities and significantly expanding the long-term international influence of humanistic research.

In recent years, he has helped plan the Research Hub for Humanities and Social Sciences and Digital Library and Archive at Academia Sinica’s Southern Campus, providing abundant research resources and advancing academic research in Southern Taiwan. To integrate the publication business of various institutes and centers within Academia Sinica, he founded the Academia Sinica Press in 2023 and established the Scholarly Monograph Award in the Humanities and Social Sciences, enhancing the quality of academic publishing and production and promoting the widespread impact of research.

Additionally, former Vice President Huang has been deeply involved in talent development initiatives. He played a key role in planning the Fellowship for Doctoral Students in Humanities and Social Sciences, which allows outstanding doctoral students in Taiwan to focus on research. He also established the Dr. Wang Shih-Chieh Memorial Chair Professorship to recognize achievements in the social sciences. Furthermore, he promoted the Academia Sinica Humanities Core Courses, initially a collaboration between Academia Sinica and National Yang-Ming University, which later expanded to include Taipei Medical University and National Defense Medical Center. This initiative aims to provide students with humanistic values and a global perspective, with almost 6,000 students having taken part in the program to date.

The newly appointed Vice President of the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, Academician Shin-Kun Peng, holds a Ph.D. from the Regional Science Department at the University of Pennsylvania. His areas of expertise include regional economics, industrial economics, and international trade. In 2024, he was elected Academician of Academia Sinica during its 34th term. Since joining the Institute of Economics at Academia Sinica in 1982, he has served in various capacities, including Deputy Director and Director of the Institute of Economics, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Academic Advisory Council, and Secretary-General, amassing nearly 20 years of academic and administrative experience. In 2014 and 2016, Academician Peng participated in drafting two policy recommendations, providing innovative suggestions on tax reform and strategies for Taiwan’s economic competitiveness and growth. His contributions significantly aided the government in shaping economic policies.

Humbly referring to himself as a "gardener at Academia Sinica," Academician Peng has served the institution for over 40 years with a deep sense of commitment and loyalty. He is regarded as a living encyclopedia of Academia Sinica, possessing an intimate knowledge of its workings. During his seven-year tenure as Secretary-General, he integrated economics principles—such as incentives and institutional frameworks—into administrative planning. His initiatives included advocating for the management of patent maintenance fees, designing an energy-saving system, assisting in the establishment of the Department of Legal Affairs, and reforming the management of general affairs. These efforts greatly enhanced the professionalism and efficiency of administrative processes, thereby improving the quality of the research environment and ensuring that researchers could work in a safe and supportive setting.

As the second-longest serving Secretary-General at Academia Sinica, Academician Peng has learned that environment improvement begins with individual effort. He is grateful to have worked with and learned from various individuals in academia and administration, which helped him advance various goals at Academia Sinica. He looks forward to further developing the unique strengths and international competitiveness of Academia Sinica's Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, deepening academic exchange and fostering innovative development, while enhancing the institution's academic and societal impact.

Research Fellow Chun-Houh Chen, the current Deputy Secretary-General, was appointed Secretary-General on the same day. He holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is an internationally renowned statistician. His areas of expertise include multivariate statistical methods, exploratory data analysis, and information visualization. Dr. Chen has previously served as Deputy Director and Director of the Institute of Statistical Science, as well as Director of the Office of Academic Affairs and Instrument Service. In recent years, he has been actively engaged in research and practical work related to precision medicine and smart health, fostering collaboration between Academia Sinica, academia, and the medical field. Since 2023, he has served as Deputy Secretary-General, overseeing the administrative work for the 2024 Academician Meeting to ensure its smooth operation. He is also the key leader of Academia Sinica's “AI Promotion Office.”

To balance development in all three Divisions at Academia Sinica - the Division of Mathematics and Physical Sciences, the Division of Life Sciences, and the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences - a Vice President is appointed for each Division. The AS President appoints Academicians with outstanding scholarly achievements and administrative experience from each Division as Vice President nominees for appointment by Taiwan’s President.