Taiwan delegation visits Auburn to strengthen international collaboration
Published: Dec 9, 2025 1:40 PM
By Carla Nelson
Auburn University recently welcomed a distinguished delegation from Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) to discuss international collaboration and explore cutting-edge research initiatives. The visitors, Shirley (Hsiu-Ya) Yang, director, and Scott Chang, executive officer, met with Auburn faculty and staff to deepen academic and technological partnerships.
The delegation visited the AU-NCKU Taiwan Center, hosted by Director Shu-Wen Tzeng, to learn more about the center’s programs supporting Taiwan–U.S. academic collaboration. They also toured several research facilities in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, including the Advanced Manufacturing Instrumentation, Control and Sensing Lab; the Interdisciplinary Center for Advanced Manufacturing Systems (ICAMS); the Human Systems Engineering Lab; and the Tiger Motors Lab.
“Strengthening international partnerships is essential to advancing the future of engineering and advanced manufacturing,” said Gregory Harris, chair of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and director of ICAMS. “We are proud to share Auburn’s research capabilities with our colleagues from Taiwan and look forward to building collaborations that benefit students, faculty and industry.”
During the visit, faculty members presented on a range of innovative topics, including digital twin technologies, advanced manufacturing, ergonomics, lean education and in-vehicle interfaces. Presenters included Konstantinos Mykoniatis, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering, who spoke on digital twin technologies, along with additional faculty experts who contributed to the other topic areas.
“During this visit, we witnessed firsthand Auburn University's extraordinary research capabilities and rich resources in national defense, the military-industrial sector and automotive engineering,” Yang said. “By combining Auburn’s cutting-edge expertise with Taiwan’s leadership in smart manufacturing, collaboration between the two sides promises powerful synergies and mutually enhancing benefits. The Science and Technology Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S. will leverage resources from the National Science and Technology Council to actively promote and facilitate innovative cooperation and exchanges between both parties.”
The NSTC, Taiwan’s counterpart to the U.S. National Science Foundation, supports research and innovation across science and technology sectors. The discussions highlighted shared goals of advancing technological innovation, fostering educational exchanges and strengthening collaborative research initiatives between Taiwan and Auburn University.
Media Contact: , carla@auburn.edu, 334-740-0221
