Prof. Hsiao-Wei Yuan

Professor, School of Forestry and Resource Conservation, National Taiwan University (NTU) | Vice President for International Affairs | Dean, International College, National Taiwan University | Vice Director, Biodiversity Research Center, NTU

Professor Hsiao-Wei Yuan joined the faculty at NTU after obtaining her PhD in Natural Resources from Cornell University in the U.S. Throughout her nearly 30 years as a champion of international education and biodiversity conservation, Prof. Yuan has received numerous awards and recognitions for her research, teaching, and community service. As a dedicated advocate for international higher education, she also served as Director for International Affairs at the National Applied Research Laboratories, and CEO of the Foundation for International Cooperation for Higher Education of Taiwan.

Prof. Yuan has not only been the principal investigator for many projects commissioned by Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology and Forestry Bureau but has also received recognition for her outstanding contributions in forestry and nature preservation by the Council of Agriculture. Dedicated to developing future talents for Taiwan's forestry research and management, she also received the Distinguished All-English Teaching Award, Outstanding Teaching Award, Distinguished Teacher Award, and Distinguished University Service Award from NTU on numerous occasions.

Since 2003, Prof. Yuan has led an international team at NTU collaborating to protect the Chinese crested tern, a bird so critically endangered that fewer than 100 remain worldwide. Since the initiation of that project, the population has doubled, and in 2023, Prof. Yuan was awarded the Special Contribution Award at the 50th Pacific Seabird Group Annual Meeting in San Diego. Through Prof. Yuan's vigorous advocacy, the world has begun to pay attention to the conservation of this species globally, and to acknowledge Taiwan's efforts to maintain biodiversity.