Alice Chien Chang, a Taiwanese molecular biologist and neuroscientist, died on March 2, 2026.
She taught at National Yang-Ming Medical College, National Yang-Ming University, and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. In 1976, she and her collaborators published research on the purification of a DNA polymerase from the extreme thermophile Thermus aquaticus, work later regarded as one of the key technical foundations enabling the high-temperature cycling, automation, and commercialization of the polymerase chain reaction.
She served as director of the Institute of Neuroscience, director of the Neuroscience Research Center, and university librarian before retiring in 2013.
Alice Chien Chang (March 14, 1950 – March 2, 2026) was a Taiwanese molecular biologist and neuroscientist. She taught at National Yang-Ming Medical College, National Yang-Ming University, and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. In 1976, she and her collaborators published research on the purification of a DNA polymerase from the extreme thermophile Thermus aquaticus; this work was later regarded as one of the key technical foundations that enabled the high-temperature cycling, automation, and commercialization of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR).