Longtime professor of the Georgia Institute of Technology and a graduate of the University of Science and Technology of China, Peng was elected to the annual meeting of last week and should assume the presidency in 2026.
“There have been some improvements, but still limited,” said Yi Rao, a neurobiologist at the University of Beijing.
Peng is not the only one to repel borders. In July, the virologist Shan-Lu Liu of Ohio State University will become the first Chinese American to lead the American Society for Virology since his foundation more than four decades.
“I hope that more Chinese-American researchers assume leadership roles, extend their impact beyond their own science and better serve the wider community,” said Liu.
Here, we are more closely examining scientists of Chinese origin who were recently elected – or served as presidents of academic companies in the United States.