About the NSF Beijing Office Staff

EMILY YAUNG ASHWORTH, Office Head/Director, Nov 2010 - present

RESPONSIBILITIES

• represents NSF in China by interacting with Chinese governmental agencies, science and research organizations, universities, and others;
• facilitates NSF funded programs in China that foster scientific and research collaborations between Chinese and U. S. researchers and students;
• monitors and reports on science and research development in China and its impact;
• provides supervision and operational management of the Office

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Prior to joining NSF, Dr. Ashworth served as Executive Vice President for International Programs at Texas A&M University. She has over 20 years of experience in management and oversight of international programs at Texas A&M and carried the responsibilities of establishing and expanding an international education and research network. Her major achievements included: facilitating establishment of Texas A&M overseas operations in Mexico, Qatar, and Costa Rica; increasing study abroad, research abroad, and service learning opportunities for students; and increasing support for faculty research abroad.

Dr. Ashworth developed collaborative relations with international institutions and research organizations. She facilitated establishment of a collaborative research agreement between CONACYT (NSF of Mexico) and Texas A&M to provide seed funding for collaborative research projects between Texas A&M and Mexican researchers. She helped secure funding from the European Commission to establish a European Union Center at Texas A&M, and served as a member of the negotiating team that facilitated establishment of the Texas A&M branch campus in engineering in Qatar.

In addition, Dr. Ashworth coordinated four biennial, bilateral China-U.S. Relations Conferences, initiated by former President George H.W. Bush and supported by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These conferences were attended by more than 1,000 people from both the U. S. and China, including policy makers (e.g., Presidents, Secretaries, and Ministers), business executives, educators, scientists and students. The second component of the conferences was research roundtables on topics of mutual interest to Chinese and U. S. researchers. Some of these roundtable discussions resulted in applications to and funding support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and other funding agencies. Dr. Ashworth received her Ph. D. in History from Kent State University.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Emily Ashworth, Office Head
NSF Beijing/China Office
Silver Tower, Room 1816
No. 2, Dong San Huan Bei Lu
Chaoyang District, Beijing 100027

U.S. mail only:
U.S. Embassy Beijing
Unit 7300, Box 0424
DPO, AP 96521-0424

Email: eashwort@nsf.gov
Phone: +86-10-6410-6931 or +86-10-6410-6932
Fax: +86-10-6410-6917


SUN BO, Science Program Specialist, Dec 2005 - present

RESPONSIBILITIES

Science Program Specialist:

• identify and track Chinese scientific information, research development, and program budgets;
• prepare reports and provide analysis on science and research priorities, programs, and new developments in China;
• maintain contact with Chinese counterpart agencies, including Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and others;
• maintain Office website; and
• assist visitors from NSF Headquarters, other U.S. government agencies, and American scientists and engineers who visit China.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Sun Bo came to NSF from the Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, where he was Senior Editor and Supervisory Translator from 2003 to 2005. In this capacity, he drafted press reports to the Department of State, conducted research on China's policy and trends on topics important to U.S.-China relations, provided analysis on key Chinese reports, maintained contacts with media and government agencies, and reviewed translations provided by other sections to the PAS. Sun Bo's professional experience also includes working as Program Associate for fund-raising and project cooperation of a technology investment company and as lecturer and program associate at the North China University of Hydroelectric Power and Water Conservancy of the Ministry of Water Resources. Sun has a bachelor's degree in English from the North China University of Technology and a master's degree in Journalism and Communication from Zhengzhou University.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: bsun@nsf.gov
Phone: +86-10-6410-6931 or +86-10-6410-6932
Fax: +86-10-6410-6917

SHEN YU, Administrative/Program Assistant, Sept 2005 - present

RESPONSIBILITIES

Administrative/Program Assistant:

• assists the Office director, handling her calendar, scheduling meetings, travel and other related arrangements;
• serves as Office manager, tracks budget and expenditures, handles procurement, maintenance, equipment and phones, prepares monthly financial report;
• coordinates with US Embassy management, financial, and transportation Offices and handles general inquiries about the Office and NSF programs;
• coordinates annual NSF East Asia Pacific Summer Institute Programs (EAPSI) in China, including arrangements with Chinese government agencies, host institutions, and liaison with program participants and sponsors.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Prior to joining NSF, Shen Yu worked as an International Affairs Coordinator in the Chinese National Information Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and as a Customer Director at an E-commerce company. Shen Yu's field of interest is S&T policy in both China and the United States from the unique perspective of systems of audit and oversight. She has over 10 years of experience in the field of US-China relationships in terms of trade, network and S&T collaboration. Shen Yu has two bachelor degrees. She received B.S in Civil Engineering from National University of Defense Technology and B.A. in International Trade from University of International Business and Economics. She also has a Master's degree in Management from the Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: yshen@nsf.gov
Phone: +86-10-6410-6931 or +86-10-6410-6932
Fax: +86-10-6410-6917

PRIOR OFFICE HEAD

Dr. William Y. B. Chang, the first Beijing Office Head, returned to NSF headquarters in the U.S in November, 2008. He may be reached via email at wychang@nsf.gov.