Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica
Joined ICAM in 2017
About
​The Institute of Physics was founded in Shanghai in 1928 and was reestablished in Taiwan in 1962, with Dr. Ta-You Wu as its first Director. The succeeding Directors of the Institute were: Dr. W. N. Wang (1976-1977), Dr. E. K. Lin (1977-1989), Dr. L. T. Ho (acting, 1989-1990), Dr. T. T. Tsong (1990-1999), Dr. Y. D. Yao (acting, 1999-2002), Dr. Maw-Kuen Wu (2002-2004), Dr. S. P. Li (acting, 2004- 2006) , Dr. Maw-Kuen Wu (2006- 2012), Dr. Ting-Kuo Lee (2012-2018), and Dr. Chia-Seng Chang (2018-present). In 1966, the Institute, together with the National Tsing-Hua University and the National Taiwan University, co-organized the Physics Research Center, under the auspices of the National Science Council, in order to promote physics research in Taiwan. In 1970, an interdisciplinary research program for atmospheric science and fluid mechanics was initiated in the Institute of Physics, and later a similar program for biophysical research in 1975. During the First Five-Year Plan (1981-1985) of the Academia Sinica, the original two-story Physics Building was replaced by a four-story building at the same site in April, 1983. The Institute's scope of research was then further expanded to include theoretical physics, covering mainly field theory and particle physics, nuclear physics, and statistical and computational physics. Since the beginning of the Second Five-Year Plan (1986-1991), the Institute has continued to grow, both in research staff and facilities. To meet the demands of rapidly growing research activities in the Institute, a new ten-story building immediately adjacent to the original building was completed in 1999. The Physics Building is named the "Ta-You Hall" to commemorate its first director, who passed away on March 4, 2000.