According to the result published by National Academy of Engineering USA on 8 Feb. 2016, Dr. Sun Yongkui, an alumnus of Xiamen University, was elected as a foreign member of the Academy for his contributions to green, economical processes for pharmaceuticals and for developing business strategies in emerging markets.

    Dr. Sun Yongkui graduated from Department of Chemistry of Xiamen University (BS 1982) and from Caltech with a Ph.D. degree in chemistry (1990). He has co-authored 73 publications in journals including JACS, PNAS and Science. He was a member of the teams receiving the Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award (New jersey R&D Council) in 2009, the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards in 2005 and in 2006 (Environmental Protection Agency, Washington DC), Institute of Chemical Engineers' AstraZeneca Award for Excellence in Green Chemistry and Engineering in 2005 (London). In 2006, Dr. Sun received the Presidential Fellows Award in Merck Research Laboratories in recognition of his scientific contributions and leadership.

    Dr. Sun Yongkui is now the director of Xiamen University Alumni Association in US. He was a classmate and roommate of Tian Zhongqun and Sun Shigang, members of Chinese Academy of Sciences, when they were studying in Xiamen University.