Dr. Chao-Chen Wang, Academician of the Division of Mathematics and Physical Sciences, died on September 17, 2012 at age 97. Dr. Wang was an internationally renowned electro-physicist and specialized in applied physics, engineering science and physics. His main research focus was on the development of microwave diodes.

        Dr. Wang was born on October 20, 1914. He graduated from National Chiao-Tung University’s Department of Electrical Engineering in 1936. He received his Master Degree in Electrophysics in 1938 and his Ph.D. in Science in 1940, both from Harvard University.

Upon graduation, Dr. Wang worked as a Microwave Electronics Research Engineer at RCA and Westinghouse Electric Company from 1940-1945. He later served as an Adjunct Professor at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute and Chair Professor at Cornell University (1957-1973). In 1973, he returned to Taiwan at the government’s request and helped establish the Industrial Technology Research Institute, becoming the first President of this Institute. He made important contributions to research and development on photo-electricity and semiconductors in Taiwan.

Dr. Wang had a distinguished career and was the recipient of numerous awards and honors. In 1957 he was elected Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and in 1961 became Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In 1968, he was elected Academician of Academia Sinica.