The recipients of the 2025 Future Science Prizes were officially announced on August 6.

2025 Future Science Prize laureates. (PHOTO / FUTURE SCIENCE PRIZE)

The Future Science Prize in life sciences was awarded to Ji Qiang, Xu Xing, and Zhou Zhonghe. Ji Qiang of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and Hebei GEO University, along with Xu Xing and Zhou Zhonghe from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, were recognized for discovering critical fossil evidence that helped establish the scientific theory that modern birds evolved from dinosaurs.

The Physical Sciences Prize to Fang Zhong, Dai Xi, and Ding Hong. Fang Zhong from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Dai Xi from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; and Ding Hong from Shanghai Jiao Tong University made significant contributions to the theoretical prediction and experimental realization of topological electronic materials.

The winner of the prize in mathematics and computer science was Lu Chih-Yuan for his pioneering work in increasing the density, integration, and data reliability of non-volatile semiconductor memory devices.

Since its inception in 2016, the Future Science Prizes have recognized 46 prominent scientists. It focuses on research in basic science and includes three categories: life sciences, physical sciences, and mathematics and computer science. Each prize comes with a US$1 million cash award (approximately RMB 7.2 million).

Source: Science and Technology Daily, VOC