The winners of this year’s Xplorer Prize were announced on Aug 26, with five experts from the Biophysical Society of China (BSC) — Liu Junjie, Tian Ye, Zhu Yongqun, Ji Wei and Zhang Qiangfeng — honored with the prestigious accolade.

In all, there were seven female recipients of this year’s prize, constituting a record-high of 14 percent of the total. Post-90s scholars have also made their mark, with the youngest awardee being just 31, while the average age of the winners was 41.

The Xplorer Prize aims to support full-time scientists under the age of 45 working on the Chinese mainland and in Hong Kong and Macao across 10 fields of basic science and cutting-edge technology. Each winner will receive a grant of 3 million yuan ($422,505.6) over a five-year period with no strings attached. 

Awarded members:

Life Sciences:                                             

Liu Junjie, researcher at Tsinghua University 

Liu focuses on the co-evolution of RNA and proteins and the development of novel molecular manipulation tools. He has been committed to designing and developing new gene editing tools and researching the mechanisms of RNA-related nuclease machines. 

Tian Ye, researcher at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) 

Tian investigates precise intervention strategies to delay aging, mitochondrial stress responses and the regulation mechanisms of aging. 

Using model organisms such as nematodes, cells and mice, she explores the homeostasis maintenance and repair mechanisms following mitochondrial stress, as well as their roles in aging regulation and aging-related neurodegenerative diseases.

Medical Sciences:

Zhu Yongqun, professor at Zhejiang University 

Zhu studies the pathogen and persistence mechanisms of pathogenic bacteria in lung and skin infections. His research focuses on how pathogens regulate host immune signaling pathways, the role of microbiota in host immune responses and the structural basis and applications of pathogen-host interactions. 

Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies:

Ji Wei, researcher at the Institute of Biophysics, CAS 

Ji works on high-resolution, high-throughput imaging technologies and the applications of single-molecule detection and super-resolution optoelectronic imaging in life science research. 

Zhang Qiangfeng, associate professor at Tsinghua University 

Zhang researches intelligent predictions of RNA three-dimensional structures and small molecular interventions. His lab has been dedicated to emerging interdisciplinary research on artificial intelligence and life sciences. Combining AI and big data analysis, Zhang has developed techniques and addressed scientific issues in structural biology, genomics and RNA biology.