Executive Board

Inaugural Address

Taku OHARA

2026.10.01

It is a great honor and privilege for me to assume the role of the sixth President of the Asian Union of Thermal Science and Engineering (AUTSE).

Having been involved in AUTSE since its establishment in 2015, I have personally witnessed how the extraordinary dedication and friendship of our colleagues have transformed an ambitious vision into a strong and respected regional union. I believe I have come to appreciate both the tremendous efforts of those who built AUTSE and the fundamental values that have guided it since its foundation. Reflecting on this history, I feel a profound sense of humility and responsibility as I take on this position.

Our first four Presidents—Professor Sang Yong Lee, Professor Sung Jin Kim, Professor Yasuyuki Takata, and Professor Xing Zhang—shared a strong conviction that international cooperation in thermal science and engineering was essential for Asia. The spirit of solidarity they fostered remains very much alive in AUTSE today, and their continued interest and support are a source of great encouragement to us. Through their shared vision and extraordinary dedication, they established AUTSE, creating a regional framework for cooperation that had not previously existed. Our immediate past President, Professor Min Soo Kim, together with his dedicated team, successfully carried this legacy forward and brought AUTSE to a new stage of development through their outstanding leadership and management. Beginning with three founding countries—Korea, China, and Japan—AUTSE has since welcomed member societies from India, Chinese Taipei, Australia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Thailand. Today, with participation from nine countries and regions, AUTSE has grown into a major regional union connecting the Asian thermal science and engineering community with the wider world.

I would like to emphasize that AUTSE is much more than an organization that manages international academic activities. I believe that its true strength lies not only in its scientific achievements, but also in the friendship, mutual trust, and solidarity among its member societies. These human connections are among the most valuable achievements of AUTSE and must be preserved for future generations.

AUTSE’s major activities include the Asian Conference on Thermal Sciences (ACTS), held every four years; the Outstanding Achievement Award, presented every four years in recognition of exceptional lifetime accomplishments; the Young Scientist Award, presented every two years to recognize young researchers pursuing innovative and challenging research; and the AUTSE Fellow program. We will continue to develop and sustain these important activities. The next Outstanding Achievement Award and Young Scientist Award ceremonies, together with lectures by the award recipients, are expected to take place at ACTS-4 in Jeju Island, Korea, in March 2028.

Asia is one of the world’s leading regions in thermal science and engineering research. By working together across national and regional boundaries, researchers and engineers in Asia can make an enormous contribution to the global scientific community. I hope that AUTSE will continue to serve as a platform for diverse forms of academic exchange, strengthen collaboration among its member societies, and build ever closer connections with the international scientific community.

At the same time, we must remember that AUTSE is a union of societies, each with its own history, priorities, and distinctive character. Respecting these differences and maintaining our diversity are essential. Our diversity should not be seen as an obstacle to unity, but rather as a source of strength and inspiration. I hope that we can foster an environment where scientific excellence, constructive competition, and mutual respect go hand in hand, contributing to the advancement of our respective communities and to the professional fulfillment and well-being of individual researchers. In particular, I hope that AUTSE will provide younger generations with opportunities to build lasting friendships and collaborations across national and regional boundaries.

Over the next two years, the AUTSE Secretariat will be based in Japan, where I will work closely with Professor M. Tanahashi, Professor A. Komiya, our Secretary General, and Professor S. Tsushima. However, nothing meaningful can be accomplished without the active participation and cooperation of the Executive Board members representing our member societies. I sincerely ask for your continued support, wisdom, and friendship as we work together to carry AUTSE forward.

Executive Board members

President

Japan

Prof. Taku OHARA

Tohoku University

ohara@ifs.tohoku.ac.jp
Vice-President

China

Prof. Bing-Yang CAO

Tsinghua University

caoby@tsinghua.edu.cn
Vice-President

Korea

Prof. Ji Hwan JEONG

Pusan National University

jihwan@pusan.ac.kr
Secretary General

Japan

Prof. Atsuki KOMIYA

Tohoku University

komiya@tohoku.ac.jp
Australia

Prof. Chengwang LEI

The University of Sydney

chengwang.lei@sydney.edu.au
China

Prof. Chang-Ying ZHAO

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

changying.zhao@sjtu.edu.cn
China

Prof. Hua-Qing XIE

Shanghai Polytechnic University

hqxie@sspu.edu.cn
Chinese Taipei

Prof. Ming-Tsang LEE

National Tsing Hua University

mtlee@pme.nthu.edu.tw.
India

Prof. Pallippattu VIJAYAN

Indian Institute of Technology Jammu

vijayan.pallippattu@iitjammu.ac.in
Japan

Prof. Mamoru TANAHASHI

Institute of Science Tokyo

tanahashi.m.9ca4@m.isct.ac.jp
Korea

Prof. Jungho LEE

Ajou University

jungholee@ajou.ac.kr
Korea

Prof. Bong Jae LEE

KAIST

bongjae.lee@kaist.ac.kr
Singapore

Prof. Charles Chun YANG

Nanyang Technological University

mcyang@ntu.edu.sg
Thailand

Prof. Amornrat KAEWPRADAP

King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi

amornrat.kae@kmutt.ac.th
UAE

Prof. Tiejun ZHANG

Khalifa University

tiejun.zhang@ku.ac.ae