# Henry T. Yang

Henry Tzu-Yow Yang (Chinese: 楊祖佑; born November 29, 1940) is an American mechanical engineer, university administrator, and the fifth and current chancellor of the University of California, Santa Barbara, a post he has held since 1994.

## Early life and education

Yang was born in Chongqing, China, on November 29, 1940. He has four siblings, including two who immigrated to the United States and a brother who is a distinguished professor of chemical engineering at the University of Michigan. In 1949, his family moved from mainland China to Taiwan, where his father served in the Republic of China Air Force.
Yang was raised in Taiwan. In 1962, he graduated from National Taiwan University with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in civil engineering. He then went to the U.S. and earned a Master of Science (M.S.) in structural engineering from West Virginia University in 1965 and his Ph.D. in civil engineering from Cornell University in 1968.

## Career
### Purdue University

Regarded as an expert in aerospace structures, structural dynamics, transonic aeroelasticity, wind and earthquake structural engineering, intelligent manufacturing systems, and finite elements, Yang was on the staff of Purdue University for 25 years. He first joined the faculty as an assistant professor in 1969, before being elevated to the head of the Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics which he served for five years from 1980 to 1984. Yang was named the dean of the Purdue University College of Engineering on July 1, 1984, a role he held for 10 years until his departure to UC Santa Barbara.
Yang is an eight-time winner of the Elmer F. Bruhn Award, which honors outstanding teachers at the Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He was named as the university's Neil A. Armstrong Distinguished Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a title bestowed on him from 1988 through 1994.

### UC Santa Barbara

After a seven-month search process by the University of California, Santa Barbara of over 150 applicants, Yang was named the school's fifth chancellor in March 1994. He began his post on June 23, 1994. On August 14th, 2024 he announced that he would be retiring at the end of the academic year 2024/2025.
He has authored or co-authored 170 articles for scientific journals and a widely used finite element structural analysis textbook. He has guided 54 Ph.D. and 20 M.S. recipients. In addition to his role as chancellor, he is also a professor of mechanical engineering at UC Santa Barbara. He continues to teach an undergraduate engineering course each year. He currently supervises three Ph.D. students with support from National Science Foundation grants. He is also a co-principal investigator for the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program of the University of California.

## Boards and committees

Yang has served on scientific advisory boards for the Department of Defense, United States Air Force, United States Navy, NASA, and the National Academy of Engineering. He is a past chair of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (2010–2014) and the Association of American Universities (2009–2010).
Yang currently serves on the President's Committee for the National Medal of Science, being appointed originally by George W. Bush in 2009 and again by Barack Obama in 2011. He was named as chairman of the board for the Thirty Meter Telescope project in 2007 and still holds the position. He also currently serves on the board of directors of The Kavli Foundation.

## Awards and honors

Yang holds honorary doctorates from Purdue University (1996), the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (2002), National Taiwan University (presumably 2004), the City University of Hong Kong (2005), the Chinese University of Hong Kong (2008), West Virginia University (2011), and Hong Kong Polytechnic University (2011).
Yang is the 1998 recipient of the Benjamin Garver Lamme Award from the American Society for Engineering Education and the 2008 recipient of the Structures, Structural Dynamics, & Materials Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Yang was elected as a National Academy of Engineering member in 1991.