Academician Maw-Kuen Wu, Distinguished Research Fellow and Director of the Institute of Physics (IOP), was recently awarded a Humboldt Research Award by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in recognition of his accomplishments in research and teaching. Academician Wu received the award at an annual symposium in Bamberg, Germany on March 21, 2010.

        The Humboldt Research Award honors the achievements of researchers whose fundamental discoveries, insights or new theories have had a lasting impact on their field of specialization. Award winners are invited to spend up to a year carrying out research projects they have chosen themselves in cooperation with colleagues in Germany. Nominations for the award must be made by academics in Germany; it is not possible to apply directly.

        Academician Wu specializes in superconductivity and magnetism. In addition to his posts at Academia Sinica, he has been a faculty member of the Department of Physics at National Tsing Hua University since 1995. He is a member of US National Academy of Science and the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS). Academician Wu has held several governmental posts. Since 2006, he has served as the director general of Taiwan National Science and Technology Program for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. He was the Minister of the ROC National Science Council between 2004 and 2006, subsequent to his appointment as the council’s deputy minister from 2000 to 2002.

        The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is a government-funded foundation that promotes cooperation between German institutes of higher education and leading academies around the world. It was first established in 1860 in honor of the German naturalist and explorer, Alexander von Humboldt; however, it ceased operation on several occasions during the turbulence of the early 20th century. Today’s Alexander von Humboldt Foundation was re-established by the Federal Republic of Germany in 1953. Currently, every year the foundation enables more than 2,000 researchers from all over the world to spend time researching in Germany. The Foundation also maintains a network of over 24,000 scientists from more than 130 countries worldwide.