Brief History
The National Center for Theoretical Sciences (NCTS) in Taiwan was first established in 1997 by the National Science Council (NSC) with strong endorsement from some of the most eminent scholars, including Professors Chen-Ning Yang and Shing-Tung Yau (丘成桐). It is hosted jointly by the National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) and the National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) in the city of Hsinchu, approximately 85 km south of Taipei and in close proximity to the Hsinchu Science Park. It consists of two separate divisions in mathematics and theoretical Physics.
The NCTS Board of Directors appointed by NSC is charged i) to advise on the mission, the goal, and the long-term strategy of NCTS, ii) to oversee the operation of the Center, and iii) to recommend the NCTS operating budget and the appointment of the NCTS Director to NSC. The current Chair of the NCTS Board of Directors is Professor Chao-Shiuan Liu , the President of Soochow University, a renowned chemist, a former Vice Premier in Taiwan, and a former President of NTHU, who was one of the key individuals responsible for the establishment of NCTS in 1997. Other members of the NCTS Board of Directors include a number of top academic leaders in mathematics and physics in Taiwan. They are Professor K. S. Cheng , President of Wufen Institute of Technology and a former President of National Chung Cheng University), Professor Shih-Chang Lee (Academia Sinica), Professor S. H. Lin ( Academia Sinica), Professor Chuan-sheng Liu (President of National Central University), and Professor Tai-ping Liu (Academia Sinica ) with two ex-officio members, Professor C. C. Liao (the Deputy Chair of NSC), and Professor Lin I (the Director of the Department of Natural Sciences of NSC).
Professor Tung-Mow Yan from Cornell University served as the first NCTS Director and also the Head of the Physics Division until he resigned at the end of 1997 for health reasons. Professor Ting-Kuo Lee from the Academia Sinica (AS) was appointed to succeed Professor Yan as the Head of Physics Division until his term ended in December of 2003. Professor Jing Yu , the Head of the Mathematics Division served as the Acting Director of NCTS after Professor Yan's departure until the end of 1999. After a two-year leave, Professor Yu returned to serve again as the Head of the Mathematics Division in 2002. Professor Chang-Shou Lin from the National Chung Cheng University was appointed in 2000 as the Director of NCTS until the end of 2003. Professor Lin also served as the Head of the Mathematics Division while Professor Yu was on leave.
At the completion of the first six years, an administrative decision was made at NSC in 2004 to expand the structure of NCTS to include two subprojects at the National Taiwan University (NTU) and the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), respectively. In addition to his responsibility as the Head of Mathematics Division, Professor Yu was appointed as the Acting Director of NCTS. Professor Darwin Chang from NTHU was invited to serve as the Head of Physics Division. Professor Shin-nan Yang from NTU and Professor Chien-Er Lee from NCKU were appointed as the Principle Investigators (PI) for the two subprojects at NTU and NCKU, respectively. In spite of this structural change, it was emphasized by NSC that “NCTS should remain to be a center as a whole.” The annual operating budget of NCTS was increased from a total of approximately US$1.9M to US$2.6M.
Late in 2004, while on sabbatical from the University of Southern California at the National Central University in Taiwan, Professor Tu-nan Chang was approached by NSC to take a careful look at the operation of NCTS. He was subsequently appointed as the Director of NCTS starting January 1 of 2005. He has also agreed to succeed Professor Darwin Chang, who stepped down due to health reasons, as the Head of Physics Division. Professor Jing Yu was invited to serve as the Deputy Director of NCTS. In addition, Professor Chien-Er Lee has agreed to continue his role as the PI for the NCTS subproject at NCKU and Professor Gerard J. Chang from NTU has agreed to serve as the PI for the other NCTS subproject at NTU.
The originally stated NCTS long-term goals were slightly modified into more attainable objectives for the next few years and received endorsement from the NCTS Board of Directors, that NCTS should be i) a breeding ground for the next generation of theoretical scientists in Taiwan and ii) a home with an environment to encourage active interaction and maximum participation of scientists to foster new ideas and new discoveries. To achieve these two immediate objectives, it is important to build up in Taiwan sufficient research strength with local critical mass if NCTS is to attract and to increase both domestic and international collaborations.
NCTS is housed on the fourth floor of the Third General Building at NTHU close to the Mathematic Department. To meet the space needs, in 2001, the main administrative office and some of the scientific staff in Physics Division were moved to the sixth floor of the Physics Building at NTHU. From time to time, a small number of scientific staff in Physics Division is housed in the Institute of Physics at NCTU. With a tremendous effort by Professor Chien-er Lee, the President of National Cheng Kung University, Professor Chiang Kao, who supports strongly the presence of NCTS at NCKU, has committed generously three floors of a former guest house on the NCKU campus (with a total area of approximately 1500 m2) for the NCTS activities in southern Taiwan. This NCTS facility was renovated and formally inaugurated at an opening ceremony followed by a joint mathematics/physics workshop on April 25 of 2005.
In the past, the Mathematics and Physics Divisions operated separately with their individual operating guidelines and procedures. The NCTS Mathematics and Physics Division have now agreed to establish a coordinated operating principle with separate detailed administrative guidelines and procedures to meet the special needs of two similar but distinct communities. NCTS is deeply committed to increase the interaction between the mathematics and the theoretical physics community in Taiwan. It is also committed to increase the efforts to expand the regional international collaboration with the neighbors in Asia and Pacific region. Its focus will also be on the training of students who are interested in theoretical sciences. In time, NCTS shall mature to become a world-class institute for important contribution to theoretical sciences.
