The Trailblazers in CIE-SF History

Founding President Dr. Ta-lin Hsu (1943 – 2024)

In 1917, the Chinese Institute of Engineers ( CIE ) was founded in the US by a group of able, dedicated, and far-sighted Chinese engineers. The CIE San Francisco Bay Area Chapter was established in 1979 by a group of pioneers, including our esteemed Dr. Ta-Lin Hsu as the founding president.

Dr. Hsu (徐大麟) was born in mainland China in 1943. He received his B.S. degree in Physics from the National Taiwan University, his M.S. degree in Electrophysics from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, and his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Hsu was the Chairman of H&Q Asia Pacific and had been investing in Asia for over 20 years. He joined Hambrecht & Quist Group in 1985 as a General Partner and founded H&Q Asia Pacific in 1986. Since inception, H&Q Asia Pacific has managed over $2.7 billion in committed capital through 23 funds and operates from six offices throughout the region. Before joining Hambrecht & Quist, Dr. Hsu worked at IBM for 12 years. In his last position, Dr. Hsu held corporate responsibility for all of IBM’s advanced research in mass storage systems and technology.

Dr. Hsu served on the boards of various leading global corporations and various non-profit organizations. He was one of the founding members of the Monte Jade Science & Technology Association, Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Give2Asia, Chairman of San Francisco Taipei Sister City Committee and a member of Committee of 100.

Even forty years after founding CIE-SF, Dr. Hsu still supported and advised the next generation of leaders of this chapter. At our major events, he continued to help explore new ideas, leverage his network, raise funds, provide scholarships and sponsorships, and most importantly, served as a role model for this long lasting volunteer organization!

2022-05-14, CIE-SF 43rd Annual Conference at Santa Clara Convention Center