TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU) Professor Chen Tien-jen (陳天任) received the Crustacean Society’s Award for Research Excellence, making him the first professor in Taiwan to receive it.

According to an NTOU press release on Tuesday (June 25), Taiwan is located in a region that spans tropical and subtropical areas, near the Coral Triangle, known for having the highest marine biodiversity in the world. Despite such diversity, Taiwan had only identified 627 shrimp and crab species in 1992, accounting for 3.6% of the globally known decapod crustaceans.

However, Chen and his Institute of Marine Biology team have discovered at least 1,800 decapod crustacean species, representing about 10% of the world's known species over the past few decades. The team’s findings include discovering the reef lobster “Enoplometopus crosnieri” on Keelung’s Peace Island in 1998, per CNA.

Chen has published 332 research papers and written nine book chapters. He is also a research associate at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, overseeing shrimp research and exhibition promotion.

Since 2000, Chen has promoted collaboration with French research teams, establishing Taiwan's capability to collect deep-sea organisms, NTOU reported.