The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) announced October 27, 2010 that it has awarded Academia Sinica President Chi-Huey Wong life-long associate membership for “outstanding research contributions”. President Wong was among 63 life scientists from 14 countries to receive the award this year. An award ceremony will be held in Heidelberg, Germany in 2011.

        Each year, the EMBO membership committee nominates and elects new members based on scientific excellence. President Wong joins almost 1500 of the world’s leading molecular biologists, who are life-time members of EMBO. President Wong said he hopes his membership “will strengthen the academic exchange between Taiwan and Europe in the field of molecular biology”. More than half of the EMBO Members contribute by serving on advisory editorial boards of the organization's four scientific journals, mentoring young researchers, providing expertise to EMBO programs and taking the lead on new initiatives. Members also nominate candidates for the annual EMBO Gold Medal award.

        Forty-nine of the new EMBO members this year work in countries across Europe, and are thus granted full-membership to EMBO; a further fourteen work in the United States, Japan and Taiwan and thus become EMBO Associate Members. Among EMBO’s approximately 100 Associate Members, only a handful represent Asia. Dr. Wong is the first EMBO member to be based in Taiwan. The other two Asia-based scientists elected this year are Shinya Yamanaka from Kyoto University and Shizuo Akira from Osaka University.

        The 63 newly elected scientists represent a broad cross-section of research covering classical areas of molecular biology, biochemistry, medical sciences as well as rapidly developing fields such as systems biology, chemical biology, neuroscience and cancer biology. Many of them bridge a number of fields, from biology to medicine, biochemistry or biophysics. Twelve female researchers are recognized this year.

        Dr. Wong is a prominent chemist. He is globally recognized for his pioneering work on the development of chemical and enzymatic methods enabling elucidation of carbohydrate-mediated biological recognition processes, particularly demonstrating their significance in drug discovery. Dr. Wong was elected an Academia Sinica Academician in 1994, and became President of Academia Sinica in 2006. He is a Fellow of American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1996), a member of the US National Academy of Sciences (2002), a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2005) and a member of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS, 2007). 
        "EMBO Members are the basis for the organization's international reputation and our most valuable asset,” Maria Leptin, EMBO Director was quoted as saying in an EMBO press release. “We welcome this year’s group of exceptional scientists and look forward to their fresh input and ideas to advance the life sciences.”
        A full list of the newly elected EMBO Members and Associate Members can be found at: http://www.embo.org/news/embo-recognizes-63-researchers-for-advances-in-life-sciences.html

        Photo caption: President Wong is globally recognized for his pioneering work on the development of chemical and enzymatic methods enabling elucidation of carbohydrate-mediated biological recognition processes, particularly demonstrating their significance in drug discovery.