Wu Cheng-wen (engineer)

Wu Cheng-wen (born 1958) is a Taiwanese engineer, academic administrator, and politician who has served as the minister of the National Science and Technology Council since 20 May 2024.

Early life and education
Wu is a Tainan native, born in 1958. Wu was an outfielder and pitcher for the Tainan Giants, representing Taiwan in the 1971 Little League World Series. He graduated from National Tainan First Senior High School and studied electrical engineering at National Taiwan University.

Academic career
Wu joined the National Tsing Hua University faculty in 1987, upon completing his master's degree and doctorate at the University of California, Santa Barbara, advised by Peter Cappello. Wu later became vice president of National Tsing Hua University. In this role, Wu attended the 2016 ceremony marking the establishment of an office for the China-funded Cross-Strait Tsinghua Research Institute at NTHU. In 2017, Wu was one of eight candidates during the initial round of voting for the presidency of National Taiwan University. After education minister Pan Wen-chung drew attention to a "flawed" selection process that saw the election of Kuan Chung-ming to the post, Wu announced his intention to withdraw from further votes if interference took place in the selection of Kuan.

Wu has been affiliated with the Industrial Technology Research Institute as head of its Information and Communications Research Laboratories, as well as its vice president,  and later, senior vice president.

Political career
At the time of his appointment as leader of the Executive Yuan's National Science and Technology Council on 16 April 2024, Wu was president of the Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology.

In June 2024, Wu announced the government's proposal to extend the third phase of Taiwan's space development program.

Honors and awards
Wu was elected a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 2004.