Chulai Hsiao, 76, of Waltham, passed away on October 21, 2023.

He is survived by loving wife Tieetour, to whom he was married for 52 years, plus his 2 children and 2 grandchildren, as well as 4 brothers, 3 sisters, 6 nephews, and 12 nieces in Taiwan.

Born in the farming town of I-lan, Taiwan on June 10, 1947, Chulai was the oldest of 7 siblings, the first to attend college and the only one from his family to leave his native country. He completed his undergraduate degree in veterinary medicine at National Taiwan University in 1970, where he met Tieetour. They married August 14, 1971, then immigrated to the United States where Chulai earned a Ph.D. in biological chemistry at the University of Maryland in 1977, and then did postdoctoral research at the University of Santa Barbara. In his academic career, he performed revolutionary research to understand bacteriophage capsid formation, and developed cutting-edge methods for transforming yeast with plasmids.

Chulai worked as a molecular biologist first at duPont, and then Wyeth, working on developing new techniques for studying biological cell processes and for producing therapeutic drugs. He and his wife settled in Wilmington, Delaware to raise their two children, later moving to Waltham, Massachusetts when Wyeth merged with Genetics Institute.

An avid gardener and bird-watcher, Chulai enjoyed the outdoors and often brought his family on trips to visit national parks across the country. He loved camping at Acadia National Park, and in later years spent many happy hours with Tieetour at Walden Pond and Great Meadows in Concord.

There will be a private gathering at Dee Funeral Home, 27 Bedford Street, Concord Center on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, to celebrate his life and mourn his passing.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his memory to the Massachusetts Audubon Society , one of his favorite organizations.

Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord.