Chang-Lin Tien was an early champion of the Center for East Asian Studies project. By naming the center in his honor, we pay tribute to his many distinguished contributions as Chancellor, scholar, and teacher.
For more than 40 years, Chang-Lin Tien enriched the educational experience of the University of California while strengthening the University’s reputation around the globe. An internationally recognized expert in heat transfer processes, he authored or edited more than 300 research publications. The distinction of his work earned him many honors, including the Max Jakob Memorial Award, the highest international award in his field. A committed educator who taught thousands of Berkeley students — including more than 60 students whose doctoral work he directed — Dr. Tien also received UC Berkeley’s Distinguished Teaching Award.
As UC Berkeley’s Chancellor from 1990 to 1997, Dr. Tien successfully led efforts to develop a more stable funding base for the University in the face of declining support. Throughout his academic career, he also lent his inexhaustible vision, drive, and humanity to a wide range of partnerships between the education sector and its colleagues in government, business, and the community, both at home and abroad.
Dr. Tien retired from the University in 2001 as University Professor and the NEC Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley. He died October 29, 2002, at the age of 67.
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