www.asiabiotech.com People Profile Chemist Peidong Yang — 2007 winner of the National Science Foundation’s Alan T. Waterman Award The National Science Foundation (NSF) has chosen Peidong Yang, a chemist at the University of California, Berkeley, to receive the 2007 Alan T. Waterman Award. Peidong Yang was born and raised in the Chinese city of Suzhou, leaving to study chemistry at the University of science and Technology of China in Hefei in 1988. Earning his Ph.D. degeree from Harvard in 1997, Yang then traveled to UC, Santa Barbara in 1997, and arrived at UC-Berkeley in 1999. In a short time, Yang has established himself as a rising star, publishing widely and receiving such awards as the NSF CAREER Award, the Alfred P. Sloan research fellowship, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Young Investigator Award, the MRS Young Investigator Award, the Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics, and the American Chemical Society’s Pure Chemistry Award. A nanotechnology expert, Yang has pioneered research on nanowires, strings of atoms that show promise for a range of high-technology devices, from tiny lasers and computer circuits to inexpensive solar panels and biological sensors. The annual Waterman award recognizes an outstanding young researcher in any field of science or engineering supported by NSF. Candidates may not be more than 35 years old, or seven years beyond receiving a doctorate and must stand out for their individual achievements. In addition to a medal, the awardee receives a grant of US$500 000 over a 3-year period for scientific research or advanced study in their field. TaiGen Names Dr Hsu as New Chairman Taiwan-based TaiGen Biotechnology has declared that the current Board member, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ming Chu Hsu, has been elected as Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors. Dr Hsu will succeed Mr Show Chung Ho, who will continue his role as a Member of the Committee and Director of the Board. Dr Hsu founded TaiGen Biotechnology in 2001 as President and Chief Executive Officer, he was the founding director of the Division of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Research, National Health Research Institutes and Program Leader of the National Science and Technology Program in Biotech/ Pharmaceutical Research in Taiwan. Before her return to Taiwan in 1998, Dr Hsu was Research Director for Oncology and Virology at Hoffmann La Roche USA. 777 APBN • Vol. 11 • No.11 • 2007.