Professor Ta-Hsiu Liao, a distinguished Taiwanese biochemist and devoted educator, passed away peacefully on February 2, 2026, in California at the age of 83. He leaves a legacy marked by intellectual rigor, integrity, and lifelong dedication to scholarship.

Born in 1942, in Taipei, Taiwan, the youngest of twelve children of Hsin-Chu Liao and Mien Hsieh, Prof. Liao demonstrated exceptional academic ability from an early age. A graduate of Taipei Municipal ChienKuo High School, he later earned his bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Chemistry from National Taiwan University. He completed his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at UCLA in 1969, receiving rigorous training in protein chemistry and enzymology.

Following postdoctoral research at The Rockefeller University under Nobel Laureate Stanford Moore, Prof. Liao served on the faculty of Oklahoma State University from 1974 to 1985. His research focused on enzyme specificity and the structural determinants of catalysis, including significant work on porcine spleen DNase. In 1985, he joined National Taiwan University as Professor of Biochemistry, where he taught and mentored students for more than two decades. He is well loved by his students. He also served as Dean of the College of Bioresources at National I-Lan University from 2003 to 2006. Upon retirement, he was named Professor Emeritus.

Prof. Liao was known for a vibrant and generous spirit with the most resounding laughter. He also found genuine joy in singing, golf and in savoring fine cuisine. He established a scholarship to support students of limited means, reflecting his deep committed to educational philanthropy.

Prof. Liao is survived by his wife, June; his children, Cindy and Richard; and his grandchildren, Alex, Winston, and Madison.

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