Dr. Chen was born on October 10th, 1942 in Taiwan.  After graduation at Taiwan Normal University with top honors, he came to the United States in 1967 with a scholarship.  In 1971 he received his doctorate in Physics from the College of William and Mary.   He became a faculty member of the Auburn University Physics Department in 1974, a position he held until his retirement in 2008.   In 1982, Dr. Chen became a full Professor and received several awards during his tenure at Auburn including the Alumni and Walter Professorships.   He did groundbreaking research in Solid State Physics but he was a teacher at heart and was the thesis advisor for several doctorate students as well as a mentor and guide for many family members and close friends.