First Winners of China’s US$1m Future Science Awards Announced

Dennis Lo Yuk-ming and Xue Qikun are the first two winners of China’s version of the Nobel Prize, which each comes with a US$1 million cash prize.

AsianScientist (Oct. 3, 2016) – Professors Dennis Lo Yuk-ming and Xue Qikun, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Tsinghua University respectively, are the first two awardees of China’s Future Science Awards, which is also the country’s first non-governmental science award.

The winners were announced on September 19 in Beijing, China, at the Future Forum, established last year in Beijing. Both scientists also took home a US$1 million cash prize.

The Awards, widely regarded as China’s version of the Nobel Prize, were initiated by a group of Chinese scientists and business leaders. They include Shi Yigong, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and winner of the Gregori Aminoff Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences; Rao Yi, president of life sciences at Peking University; Robin Li Yanhong, Chairman and CEO of Baidu; and Yang Yuanqing, CEO of Lenovo.

Lo, a DNA research scientist, was recognized for his central role to the development of a non-invasive prenatal diagnostics test widely used around the world today. For his efforts, he was awarded the Life Science Award.

Xue, on the other hand, was recognized for his pioneering contribution to the quantum anomalous Hall effect, a discovery that has helped accelerate the IT revolution and the development of low-power consumption electronics. Xue took home the Materials Science Award.

An awards ceremony is planned for this coming January, to be held in Beijing.


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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine; Photo: Dennis Lo, Tsinghua University.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

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