Recruiting Dr. Tatsuo Kakimoto as a Yushan Fellow
Professor Tatsuo Kakimoto from the Division of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University was recruited to join our research team in 2025 as a Yushan Fellow. Professor Kakimoto specializes in plant hormones and cellular signal transduction and is widely recognized for the discovery of cytokinin receptors. He received the 2025 Academic Award from the Botanical Society of Japan, and his work has had a profound impact on advancing the mechanistic understanding of plant molecular biology and crop improvement.
Recruiting Dr. Ichiro Terashima as a Yushan Fellow
Professor Ichiro Terashima from the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Tokyo joined the research team as a Yushan Scholar. Dr. Terashima, a former president of the Botanical Society of Japan, is a renowned expert in plant photosynthesis and physiological ecology. His research has had a profound impact on advancing the understanding of crop productivity and environmental adaptability, establishing him as a leading figure in the international plant biology community.
Recruiting Dr. Wilhelm Gruissem as a Yushan Fellow
Dr. W. Gruissem was the former Dean of the Department of Plant Biology at UC Berkely, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Society of Plant Biology, Science and Technology Advisor of the Executive Yuan, and Distinguished Professor of Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. He is the only Yushan scholar from MOE in agricultural field in the country.
Establish the Larry Vanderhoef Memorial Lectures series：
In memory of Dr. Larry Vanderhoef (former Chancellor of the University of California, Davis), NCHU established a commemorative lecture series and invites influential and distinguished UC Davis scholars to deliver lectures. On October 1–2, 2025, NCHU hosted Drs. Blake Meyers (Member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences), R. Holland Cheng, and Maria L. Marco. On October 28–30, 2025, NCHU welcomed nine UC Davis scholars—Drs. Savithramma Dinesh-Kumar (Member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences), Ioannis Stergiopoulos, Erkin Seker, Yen-Wen Kuo, Philipp Zerbe, Xiaosa (Jack) Xu, Matthias Hess, Mitchell Feldmann, and Imtiyaz Khanday—to share their latest research and further promote international academic exchange.
Promoting joint talent cultivation with ETH Zurich
Led by Academician Chang-Hsien Yang, members of the Center traveled to Zurich, Switzerland, to participate in the Taiwan–Swiss Workshop as invited speakers. The delegation brought together scholars from ETH Zurich and other leading Swiss universities for cross-institutional discussions, on-site visits, and academic exchange. This engagement marked the launch of bilateral collaboration between the Center’s talent development program and the Swiss plant science community, including plans to facilitate future exchange visits by Swiss Ph.D. students to Taiwan, thereby advancing international talent cultivation and academic collaboration.