Asian Deans' Forum 2025 – Rising Stars Women in Engineering Workshop 16–18 November 2025, National Taiwan University
2025/12/19
Group photo of the 2025 Asian Deans' Forum in Engineering
The ADF 2025 Rising Stars Women in Engineering Workshop, co-organized by the Asian Deans' Forum (ADF) and National Taiwan University (NTU), was successfully held from November 16 to 18, 2025, in Taipei. The three-day event brought together deans, distinguished women scholars, and emerging engineering researchers from leading universities across Asia, fostering dialogue on engineering education, technological innovation, and women's leadership in academia and society.
The workshop commenced on the evening of November 16 with a welcoming reception at NTU's College of Engineering, offering participants a valuable opportunity to connect and engage before the formal academic program. The Opening Ceremony on November 17 featured remarks by NTU President Wen-Chang Chen, along with senior academic leaders from NTU's engineering-related colleges, including Dean Mao-Hsiung Chiang of the College of Engineering, Dean Tzong-Lin Wu of the College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Dean Tzi-Dar Chiueh of the Graduate School of Advanced Technology, who delivered opening addresses. The speakers emphasized the mission of the Rising Stars initiative—to empower future women leaders in engineering and to strengthen collaboration among ADF member institutions. The Plenary Lecture was delivered by Jia-Yush Yen, President of the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, who examined the challenges and opportunities facing engineering education in Taiwan amid demographic shifts and global competition. He highlighted outcomes-based education, alignment with international accreditation, and the importance of multidisciplinary training in preparing engineers for societal and industrial transformation.
Across multiple keynote sessions and panel discussions, speakers from the University of New South Wales, National University of Singapore, The University of Tokyo, Seoul National University, and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology shared insights on transforming engineering education, bridging academia with industry and society, advancing sustainability, and shaping the future of artificial intelligence and digital technologies. Discussions underscored inclusive leadership, global citizenship, and the role of engineering in addressing complex global challenges. A highlight of the workshop was the Rising Stars Elevator Pitch session, where participants delivered concise presentations introducing their research expertise and future aspirations. Attended by ADF deans and senior academic leaders, the session provided valuable visibility and direct engagement opportunities for early-career women scholars.
On November 18, the program focused on frontier areas including artificial intelligence, robotics, and semiconductor technologies. Keynote presentations explored interpretable robot learning, soft robotics, and next-generation memory architectures for the AI era, followed by a panel discussion on interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation ecosystems in Asia. Poster presentations and mentoring sessions further enabled in-depth academic exchange and personalized career guidance.
The workshop concluded with a Closing Ceremony featuring joint remarks from ADF and Rising Stars in Engineering (RSE) and the announcement of the 2026 host institution. Future plans for sustained collaboration, new program formats, and the development of an alumni platform were also outlined. Overall, the ADF 2025 Rising Stars Women in Engineering Workshop successfully advanced its goal of empowering emerging women leaders in engineering, strengthened regional academic networks, and reinforced Asia's collective commitment to inclusive, impactful, and forward-looking engineering research and education.
Group photo of the Asian Deans' Forum (ADF) deans and representatives
Group photo of the Rising Stars Women in Engineering (RSE) Workshop participants
Group photo of the RSE mentoring session
RSE poster session