Dr. Wu was born on May. 31, 1912 in Shanghai. She graduated from the National Central University with a BS degree in 1934 and received a doctorate in Physics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1940. Her doctoral thesis deal with Beta-particles of phosphorous-32 and fission products of uranium.
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Dr. Wu taught at University of California (1940-1942), Smith College (1942-43), and then joined Columbia University where she was appointed as Pupin Professor of Physics (1972-1981). She is an authority on nuclear physics and non-conservation of parity in beta decay. She worked together with Tsung-dao Lee and Chen-ning Yang and conducted experimental tests to prove the principle of the conservation of parity incorrect. Drs. Lee and Yang later received the Noble Prize in physics.
Dr. Wu received numerous awards and honors. She received eleven honorary doctoral degrees, including DSc, Princeton University (1958), Dsc, Smith College (1959 ), DSc, Goucher College ( 1960), DSc, Rutgers University (1961), Dsc, Yale University (1967), LLD, Chinese University, Hong Kong (1969), Dsc. Russell Sage College (1971), DSc, Harvard University (1974), DSc , Bard College ( 1974), DSc, Adelphi University ( 1974), DSc, Dickinson College ( 1975 ). She was honorary professor of Nanking University , Science and Technology University, Beijing University, Tsing Hwa University, and Nan Kai University, in China; Padua University in Italy, and lectured in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. She was a recipient of many awards and honors, such as Research Corporation research award (1959), AAUW award (1960), Comstock award (1964), Achievement Award, Chi-Tsin Culture Foundation (1965), National Science Medal (1975), Wolf Prize in Physics (1978), Pupin Medal Columbia Engineering School Alumni Association (1991), Ettore Majorana-Erice-Science. for Peace prize (1992); Scientist of the Year, Industrial Research Magazine (1974), Tom Bonner prize (1975), first Woman to Receive the Comstock Prize, and asteroid named in honor (1990).
Dr. Wu was elected Fellow, AAAS; honorary member, Royal Society Edinburgh; member, Chinese Academy of Science; member, American Academy of Arts and Science, and first woman President, American Physical Society (1975).
Dr. Wu married to Dr. Luke C.L. Yuan. A Chien Shiung Wu and Luke C.L. Yuan Foundation was established in 1999 by her husband.