Autobiography

Jiahao Chen (陈家豪)
Jiahao Chen (陈家豪)
Born	September 1, 1981; Singapore, Singapore
Nationality	Singaporean
Alma mater	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
	Scientific career
Fields	theoretical chemistry, applied mathematics
Institutions	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Doctoral advisor	Todd Martinez

I graduated in 2009 with a PhD in the chemical physics interdisciplinary program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. My thesis advisor is Todd Martinez^[1] and my thesis was on the computation of atomic partial charges for molecular mechanics applications [1].

I am currently a postdoc at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. My current research interests include using random matrix theory to model and characterize properties of disordered molecular systems such as Anderson localization in organic semiconductors, as well as empirical descriptions of electronically excited states and the computation of atomic partial charges from ab initio quantum chemistry methods.

The AcidFlask Affair

From July 2004 to May 2005, I wrote under the AcidFlask moniker on my blog, caustic.soda. On the Haro Singapore article, I was cited as an example of a "'loud' blog", which was "known to gather huge audiences". My blog became known, among other things, for being critical of certain government policies, in particular some of A*STAR's policies regarding their government scholarships.

In late April 2005, I was contacted by Philip Yeo, then the chairman of the Singapore government agency A*STAR, who threatened to sue me for defamation over posts I had written. Since it was not made clear which posts were allegedly defamatory, and it was very close to my end-of-semester final examinations, I therefore made the voluntary decision to remove my blog from public access.^[2]

On 9 May 2005, I placed an unreserved apology to "A*STAR, its Chairman Mr. Philip Yeo, and its executive officers for the distress and embarrassment" caused.^[3], which many believe to have been a direct consequence of the threat of legal action for libel by A*STAR. ^[4]

According to the Philip Yeo article, this incident "upset several members of the local blogging community for his statements, the perceived ham-fisted censorship, and the chilling effect on free speech on the Internet."