Dr. Der-Tsai Lee, Distinguished Research Fellow and Academician, received the Humboldt Research Award in 2008 from the German Alexander von Humboldt Foundation due to his outstanding academic achievements.  The Humboldt Research Award is one of the most prestigious scientific and academic honors in Germany.

Recently, Dr. Der-Tsai Lee was appointed as Humboldt Ambassador Scientist.  Humboldt Ambassador Scientists work for the Foundation in an honorary capacity to disseminate information about the Foundations sponsorship programs and international network. They also promote academic exchange between research institutions and universities in Germany and abroad.

The Humboldt Foundation was established in 1860 to commemorate the German naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt.  Currently, the Foundation receives its funding support from the German government.  The Humboldt Foundation provides financial assistance to young researchers and senior scholars to conduct short-term research at research institutions in Germany.  The Foundation hopes that Humboldt researchers, upon returning from their exchange program in Germany, will promote academic interactions between Germany and various other countries.

Academician Der-Tsai Lee became Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Taiwan in 1992 and Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, Taiwan in 1997.  In 2001, Dr. Lee was conferred the Outstanding Research Award by the Pan Wen-Yuan Foundation.  In 2002, he was awarded the Information Science Honorary Medal by the Institute of Information and Computing Machinery, Taiwan.  In 2008, the National Science Council presented him with the Science Professional Medal.  Dr. Der-Tsai Lee became Academician of Academia Sinica in 2004.