On December 6th,the 2024 Tengchong Science Award was officially announced at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Tengchong Scientists Forum.The recipients of this year's award were Academician Xue Qikun,a professor at Tsinghua University and president of Southern University of Science and Technology,and Academician Xiao Xiaoliang,director of Changping Laboratory and Morningside Professor at Peking University.
Academician Xue Qikun is a professor at Tsinghua University and president of Southern University of Science and Technology.Leading his team,he discovered the quantum anomalous Hall effect using magnetic topological insulator films for the first time in experiments.This represents a significant physical phenomenon independently observed by Chinese scientists and a notable scientific discovery in the global field of fundamental research.His team also discovered interface-enhanced high-temperature superconductivity for the first time.He is the first Chinese scientist to receive the highest international awards in condensed matter physics-the Oliver E.Buckley Prize and the Fritz London Award-and was awarded the National Highest Science and Technology Award in 2024.
Academician Xiao Xiaoliang is a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,a foreign associate of the U.S.National Academy of Sciences,the U.S.National Academy of Medicine,and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.He is the director of Changping Laboratory and Morningside Professor and head of the Department of Life Sciences at Peking University.He is one of the founders of single-molecule biophysical chemistry and a pioneer in coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy and single-cell genomics.His team's invention of whole-genome amplification technology has enabled more than 10,000 families with single-gene hereditary diseases to avoid passing these diseases to their offspring.
The Tengchong Science Award was jointly proposed by Academicians Gu Biling,Xu Zhihong,and Rao Zihe.It aims to reward global scientists who have made significant breakthroughs on the frontiers of science and technology,advanced human scientific progress,solved major problems and challenges through technological innovation,and achieved significant economic or social benefits from their research.The award plans to select 1-3 individuals(or teams)each time,with each recipient(or team)receiving a reward of 1.5 million U.S.dollars or 10 million yuan.In 2023,the first Tengchong Science Award was given to Academician Lu Yuming and Professor Feng Zhang from MIT.
