TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday (April 27) nominated Taiwanese-American Heidi Shyu (徐若冰) for Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

Shyu, 67, was born in Taipei and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 10. She started her career as an engineer for aerospace and defense contractors.

From 2000 to 2010 she was a member of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, and she served as its vice-chairman from 2003 to 2005 and chairman from 2005 to 2008.

From 2012 to 2016, she served in the Obama administration as assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics, and technology. If confirmed by the Senate, Shyu will be the highest-ranking Asian-American civilian to serve in the Pentagon, reported DefenseNews.

She will also be the second woman to hold the post, after Michele Flournoy, who served in the Obama administration. Shyu has been awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, Department of the Army Medal for Distinguished Civilian Service, Department of the Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service, and the General Brehon B. Somerville Medal of Excellence, among other honors.

Shyu has a family history of military service, with her grandfather Shyu Kang-liang (徐康良) having served as the deputy commander in chief of the Republic of China Air Force. During her tenure at the Department of Defense, Shyu led many important U.S. Air Force projects, serving as the senior director of F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter (JSF) and director of JSF Integrated Radar/Electronic Warfare Sensors.