Professor Hans Joachim (‘John’) Schellnhuber studied physics and mathematics at the University of Regensburg, where he also completed his doctorate in quantum physics. Following a postdoctoral position at the Institute for Theoretical Physics, Santa Barbara, he held full professorships at the Universities of Oldenburg and Potsdam, as well as at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. Additionally, he was engaged in numerous visiting professorships, including positions at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Oxford University, Stockholm University, and the Santa Fe Institute. Schellnhuber received honorary doctorates from the University of Copenhagen (2011), the Technical University Berlin (2012), and the University of Exeter (2022). He has published some 300 scientific articles and books in fundamental physics, complex systems analysis, climate change research, sustainability science, and more. Schellnhuber is listed as a Highly Cited Researcher (Cross Field) by Clarivate.

Since December 2023, Schellnhuber has been appointed as the twelfth Director General of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Laxenburg, Austria. Before this, Schellnhuber led the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) from 1992 to 2018 as their founding director and also served as research director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in Great Britain from 2001 to 2005.

Since 2019, Schellnhuber has been focusing his scientific work and communication skills on the transformation of the built environment, with a specific emphasis on the climate restoration potential of regenerative architecture. In this context, he established Bauhaus Earth as a not-for-profit company and became a member of the High-Level Roundtable of the New European Bauhaus initiative.

Schellnhuber is member of numerous learned societies, including the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the German National Academy Leopoldina, the US National Academy of Sciences, the Academia Europaea, and the Academy of Athens. Throughout his career, Schellnhuber has received several notable awards, such as the German Environmental Prize (2007), the Volvo Environmental Prize (2011), the Blue Planet Prize (2017), and the Ratio et Spes Prize (2021). In 2022, Schellnhuber was also awarded the Honorary Edition of the German Sustainability Prize for his “enormous influence on science, politics, and business by developing and communicating sustainable solutions to the global environmental crisis”.

Schellnhuber acted as a scientific advisor to a number of eminent public and religious leaders, including the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Commission Presidents José Manuel Barroso and Ursula von der Leyen, and Pope Francis. For 28 continuous years, he has served as a member and chair of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) since its establishment in 1992. He contributed in various ways to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

In recognition of his achievements, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber received several prestigious honors, including being named a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II (2004). He was also awarded the Order of Merit of the State of Brandenburg (2008), the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2011) and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, of the Japanese Government (2020). In 2021, Schellnhuber received the Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and became Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur of the French Republic.

Professor Fiona Watt obtained her first degree from Cambridge University and her DPhil, in cell biology, from the University of Oxford. She was a postdoc at MIT, where she first began studying differentiation and tissue organisation in mammalian epidermis. She established her first research group at the Kennedy Institute for Rheumatology in London and then spent 20 years at the CRUK London Research Institute. She helped to establish the CRUK Cambridge Research Institute and the Wellcome Trust Centre for Stem Cell Research and in 2012 she moved to King’s College London to found the Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine. From 2018 to 2022 she was on secondment as Executive Chair of the Medical Research Council. In 2022 she moved to Heidelberg where she runs a lab at EMBL and is EMBO Director.

Prof. Dr. Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter is Chair of the Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology at the University of Würzburg, Germany. He studies the impact of global environmental change on biodiversity and ecosystem services. His expertise covers biodiversity – ecosystem functioning relationships, pollinator ecology, crop pollination services, biological pest control, tropical agroforestry systems and landscape ecology. It is his ambition to lay the scientific ground for sustainable landscape management and agri-environmental schemes shaping the transition to future climate-resilient, adaptive and biodiverse ecosystems.

He has extensive experience as coordinator and partner in several international, African, European and national research projects and a long-lasting track record of successful inter- and transdisciplinary cooperation. He has published more than 300 peer reviewed articles and currently coordinates the EU H2020 project Safeguard – Safeguarding European pollinators.

Professor Pamela Christine Ronald graduated from UC Berkeley with a Ph.D. in Molecular and Physiological Plant Biology. She was a M.S. student at Stanford University, a postdoctoral fellow at Cornell University and joined the faculty of UC Davis in 1992.

She also serves as Investigator, Innovative Genomics Institute at UC Berkeley and is coauthor of Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, genetics and the Future of Food.

She was named one of the world’s 100 most influential people in biotechnology by Scientific American. In 2022, Ronald was awarded the Wolf Prize in Agriculture & the VinFuture Special Prize for Female Innovators.

She is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences & the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Professor Susan Solomon currently serves as the Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies and Chair of the Program in Atmospheres, Oceans and Climate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.

Previously, she assumed the role of Ellen Swallow Richards Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry & Climate Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Acting Director at the Atmospheric Chemistry Division of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and Senior Scientist and Research Chemist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

She is internationally recognized for her outstanding contributions to the elucidation of Antarctic ozone “hole” and to our understanding of the intricate interaction between atmospheric chemistry and climate change.

With an illustrious career, she received many awards, including the National Medal of Science in 1999, Volvo Environmental Prize 2009, Crafoord Prize of the Swedish Academy of Sciences In 2018, and VinFuture Special Prize for Female Innovators 2023.

Martin Green is Scientia Professor at the University of New South Wales, Sydney and Founding Director of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, involving several other Australian Universities and research groups.

His group’s contributions to photovoltaics are well known and include holding the record for silicon solar cell efficiency for 30 of the last 40 years, described as one of the “Top Ten” Milestones in the history of solar photovoltaics.

The PERC solar cell that he invented in 1983 and his team developed to its full potential accounted for 91.2% of worldwide silicon solar module production in 2021 (CPIA).

Major international awards include the 1999 Australia Prize, the 2002 Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize, the 2007 SolarWorld Einstein Award, the 2016 Ian Wark Medal from the Australian Academy of Science, the Global Energy Prize in 2018, the prestigious 2021 Japan Prize, the 2022 Millenium Technology Prize, the 2023 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, the 2023 VinFuture Grand Prize.

AFFILIATION

University of Copenhagen, Denmark

SUMMARY OF WINNING ENTRY

Discovering the role of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), paving the way to widely used treatments for diabetes and obesity and stimulating emerging applications for neurodegenerative diseases

Professor Jens Juul Holst is a pioneering scientist in the field of endocrinology and metabolism. Alongside Professor Joel Habener’s research team at Massachusetts General Hospital, Professor Jens Juul Holst’s team at the University of Copenhagen discovered the structure and role of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) in regulating gastrointestinal motility and insulin levels. Stemming from the detection of GLP-1 in the intestines and pancreas of mammals in 1986, a year later, Professor Holst published breakthrough research on the discovery of a functional isoform of GLP-1, which is seven amino acids shorter in molecular structure, designated as proglucagon 78-107 or GLP-1 (7-36). The finding of the GLP-1 (7-36) isoform later led to the discovery of this peptide’s role in regulating insulin and glucose in humans, ushering in a new era of diabetes and obesity treatments based on GLP-1. Not only contributing to the determination of the biological rolse and drugs based on GLP-1, along with Prof. Carolyn Deacon và Daniel Joshua Drucker, Professor Holst also played a key role in discovering the dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 enzyme (DDP-4), which catalyzes the breakdown of GLP-1. From this discovery, a new line of drugs based on the mechanism of DDP-4 inhibition was developed, significantly improving the effectiveness of GLP-1 therapies by enhancing the drug’s lifespan in the body and increasing its stability and biological efficiency.

SCALE OF IMPACT

These significant advancements related to the GLP-1 endocrine process have laid the foundation for powerful therapies for Type 2 diabetes, obesity and short bowel syndrome, impacting over 100 million people with type 2 diabetes, more than 1 billion individuals with obesity, and over 3 million with short bowel syndrome. In 2023, there were more than 20 million doses of GLP medication used globally. Additionally, the exploration of the physiological mechanism of GLPs has propelled the research and development of new treatments for cardiovascular diseases and many neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases,  all of which being among the leading causes of death globally. In the case of Alzheimer’s disease, one of the most common neurodegenerative conditions, GLP-1 medication could slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, offering new hope for over 55 million patients worldwide.

MEANINGFUL CHANGE

The seminal work of Professor Daniel Johsua Drucker, Joel Francis Habener, Jens Juul Holst, and Svetlana Mojsov has brought breakthrough impacts to the fields of endocrinology, metabolism, and gastroenterology. The translation of their discoveries on GLP-1 and DDP-4 biology into clinical medical solutions has transformed treatment methods for various diseases, thereby contributing to building a healthier world. Their work is a testament to the transformative power of innovative scientific discovery and the potential of these discoveries in shaping treatment methods and healthcare solutions.

AFFILIATION

International Rice Research Institute, Philippines and University of California, Davis, USA

SUMMARY OF WINNING ENTRY

Discovery and implementation of disease-resistant rice

The agricultural revolution was greatly propelled by the efforts of Professor Gurdev Singh Khush and Professor Xuan Vo-Tong in inventing and advancing disease-resistant rice varieties, contributing to the strengthening of global food security. Professor Khush pioneered in the development of many rice varieties, such as IR8, IR36, IR64…, which are resistant to numerous pests and diseases, have short mature time, and yield quality grains. The development of high-yielding rice varieties has revolutionized rice cultivation worldwide, enabling substantial increases in production while reducing costs and minimizing the reliance on harmful chemicals. Among these groundbreaking innovations, IR64, a variety developed by Professor Khush and researchers at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), stands out as a remarkable achievement. Its unique combination of intermediate amylose content, soft gel consistency, intermediate gelatinization temperature, translucency, and long slender grains has made it a highly sought-after variety, cultivated in almost all rice-producing countries. Beyond its standalone success, IR64 has also served as a parent strain for thousands of hybrid varieties, demonstrating its versatility and enduring impact on global food security.

SCALE OF IMPACT

By the 1980s, the IR36 rice variety was globally adopted, cultivated on up to 11 million hectares. By 2000, the widespread dissemination of IR36 and other rice varieties significantly boosted rice yields with production increasing by 600 million tons. Besides IR36, IR64 was also widely cultivated in over 10 million hectares within two decades of its release, making a positive impact on millions of lives worldwide. IR64 was first released in the Philippines in 1985, soon followed by releases in Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China, Ecuador, The Gambia, India, Indonesia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Vietnam, and the Sahelian regions of West Africa. By 2018, IR64 and its successive generations were extensively grown in many countries and became the most popular rice varieties in the Asian tropical regions, which exemplified their superior characteristics and exceptional adaptability.

MEANINGFUL CHANGE

Utilizing high-yield disease-resistant rice varieties like IR36 and IR64 not only reduces production costs and increases rice yield but also limits the use of pesticides, promoting sustainable agriculture globally. Additionally, advancements in global rice productivity ensure that access to a stable food supply becomes more equitable and reliable. This discovery has far-reaching impacts with potential effects on the socio-economic structure, environmental conservation, and global health, and plays a significant role in building a safer and more sustainable future for everyone.

AFFILIATION

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

SUMMARY OF WINNING ENTRY

The discovery of the ozone depletion mechanism in Antarctica, contributing to the establishment of the Montreal Protocol

Professor Susan Solomon is a pioneering scientist in the field of atmospheric chemistry with groundbreaking contributions that have expanded humanity’s understanding of the ozone layer depletion phenomenon and the role of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in this process. Stemming from early calculations by Professor Mario Molina and Sherwood Rowland in 1974, the hypothesis about the impact of CFCs on the ozone layer garnered widespread scientific attention and underwent extensive research over the years. However, it wasn’t until 1986-1987 that this hypothesis was convincingly proved by Professor Solomon’s experiments in Antarctica, which gathered reliable evidence about a particularly large ozone hole caused by CFCs in this region. The experiments also confirmed her earlier hypothesis that the high density of stratospheric clouds in Antarctica created an electromagnetic attraction with CFCs. These experimental findings subsequently galvanized global efforts leading to the birth of the Montreal Protocol. This is one of the most successful international agreements in addressing global environmental issues, achieving worldwide consensus to phase out substances harmful to the ozone layer like CFCs. Furthermore, Solomon’s extensive explorations have also enriched our understanding of climate dynamics, focusing on atmospheric chemistry, climate feedback mechanisms, and human-induced changes to global temperatures. Her profound insights and influential leadership have sculpted scientific paradigms and international policies, contributing immensely to global environmental protection efforts.

SCALE OF IMPACT

In 2016, Professor Solomon and her colleagues published results showing that the ozone hole had shrunk by more than 4 million square kilometers compared to its peak in 2000 and would fully recover in the coming decades. The implementation of the Montreal Protocol has also significantly reduced global greenhouse gas emissions. The most evident proof is that, between 1990-2010, the control measures of the Montreal Protocol has been estimated to help reduce emissions equivalent to 135 billion tons of CO2 – five times the annual target set by the Kyoto Protocol for the 2008-2012 period. Along with other climate change agreements, the Montreal Protocol has made a substantial contribution to the protection of the global climate system and is expected to prevent an additional 100-200 billion tons of CO2 emissions by 2050, potentially reducing the global temperature increase from 2-5°C to 0.5°C by 2100. In addition to environmental benefits, protecting the ozone layer also brings about significant health benefits. According to estimates from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, just within the its border, by 2100, the full implementation of the Montreal Protocol can prevent up to 443 million cases of skin cancer, reduce 2.3 million deaths from the disease, and prevent 63 million cataract cases.

MEANINGFUL CHANGE

Professor Susan Solomon’s work had a transformative influence on atmospheric science and international environmental protocols. By proving and addressing urgent environmental issues, her work has brought about fundamental changes in the field of environmental protection and the reduction of climate change impacts. Moreover, the recovery of the ozone layer is fundamental for sustaining life on earth, making her contributions vital in the quest to preserve biodiversity and ecological balance.

AFFILIATION

KVI Holdings, Singapore

SUMMARY OF WINNING ENTRY

Investigated electrochemical intercalation of graphite and the thermodynamics of the battery charging/discharging processes

Professor Rachid Yazami pioneered the exploration of reversible electrochemical intercalation of Lithium-ions into graphite, laying the foundation for the development of modern Lithium-ion batteries. His research delved into combining nanomaterials such as nano-silicon, carbon nanotubes, and graphene with other materials such as graphite and carbon black in the anode of batteries. Furthermore, his work also has brought extensive insights into the thermodynamics of battery charging and discharging processes, which was described in the fundamental Yazami’s Battery Theorem. Until today, he remains at the forefront of innovation, continuing his exploration into novel cathode, anode materials, and the fundamental processes of battery operation.

SCALE OF IMPACT

Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized energy storage over the past decades, offering enhanced safety, compactness, convenience, and durability. Today, they form the backbone of a sprawling industry and are a foundational component of the modern world, powering more than 15 billion mobile devices and 26 million electric vehicles globally. The impact of Lithium-ion batteries is predicted to grow exponentially as the world shifts towards renewable energy sources. In this future, Lithium-ion battery technology, in combination with technologies like solar panels, will enable continuous and sustainable green energy production and storage.

MEANINGFUL CHANGE

The innovation of Lithium-ion battery marks a monumental shift in energy storage, significantly impacting billions of people on Earth. They underpin a multitude of electric devices, from smartphones to electric vehicles, thus enabling a more connected, mobile, and sustainable world. Furthermore, Lithium batteries’ high energy density and long-life cycle are pivotal in the transition to renewable energy sources, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating climate change’s adverse effects. By fostering the development of affordable and accessible energy solutions, they play a crucial role in alleviating energy shortage and improving living conditions for underserved populations.

AFFILIATION

University of New South Wales, Australia

SUMMARY OF WINNING ENTRY

Pioneering the breakthrough in green energy production with the invention of solar cells enhanced by Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact (PERC) technology

The improvement of the solar cells efficiency ushered in an era of productive renewable energy harvestation, thereby contributing to a more equitable and sustainable world. Silicon solar cell technology has been developed over decades by various innovators; however, modern high-efficiency solar cells mostly rely on the Passive Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) technology pioneered by Professor Martin Green‘s team. This group’s groundbreaking research has significantly enhanced the efficiency of solar cells, paving the way for wider adoption of solar energy. Their innovations include reducing photon loss through a back surface reflector, a combination of a dielectric layer and a thin metal layer that minimizes photon absorption. Additionally, they have developed back surface passivation techniques, employing dielectric layers or heterojunction structures to reduce carrier loss. These advancements culminated in the development of Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact (PERC) technology, which optimizes solar cell performance and demonstrates the feasibility of integrating these advanced technologies into mass production.

SCALE OF IMPACT

Before Professor Martin Green’s revolutionary work, solar cells struggled with a paltry 15% efficiency. The breakthroughs achieved by his team allowed the energy conversion rate of solar cells to reach the modern 25% rate. Since being mass-produced in 2012, PERC solar cells have held over 60% of the worldwide solar cell market share. Between 2010 and 2022, the share of solar energy has increased 18-fold (to 14.7%) in the global energy mix, contributing greatly to the transition away from fossil fuels.

MEANINGFUL CHANGE

This efficiency improvement has expanded the applicability of solar technology, even for areas with limited sunlight conditions, turning solar energy into a key factor in the sustainable development process. Moreover, the enhancement of energy production efficiency and refined production processes have allowed the technology to achieve cost-effective self-sustainability, thereby accelerating the transition to renewable energy. Furthermore, these optimized and affordable solar panel products have brought new hopes to impoverished and remote areas, opening new opportunities to access renewable energy and addressing energy shortages, thereby significantly contributing to equitable development globally.

AFFILIATION

Asahi Kasei Corporation and Meijo University, Japan

SUMMARY OF WINNING ENTRY

Development of carbon black as anode in the Lithium ion batteries

Professor Akira Yoshino stands out for his pioneering development of carbon black as a Lithium-ion batteries anode. Leveraging his study of polymeric material, he applied these discoveries to the use of carbon materials like carbon black for battery applications. Carbon black possesses several suitable properties including lightweight, high capacity towards Lithium ions, and good electrical conductivity. Besides the work on carbon black anode, Professor Yoshino also introduced notable innovations such as the aluminum foil current collector and the development of functional separator membranes, which were crucial in enhancing the efficiency and functionality of Lithium-ion batteries.

SCALE OF IMPACT

Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized energy storage over the past decades, offering enhanced safety, compactness, convenience, and durability. Today, they form the backbone of a sprawling industry and are a foundational component of the modern world, powering more than 15 billion mobile devices and 26 million electric vehicles globally. The impact of Lithium-ion batteries is predicted to grow exponentially as the world shifts towards renewable energy sources. In this future, Lithium-ion battery technology, in combination with technologies like solar panels, will enable continuous and sustainable green energy production and storage.

MEANINGFUL CHANGE

The innovation of Lithium-ion battery marks a monumental shift in energy storage, significantly impacting billions of people on Earth. They underpin a multitude of electric devices, from smartphones to electric vehicles, thus enabling a more connected, mobile, and sustainable world. Furthermore, Lithium batteries’ high energy density and long-life cycle are pivotal in the transition to renewable energy sources, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating climate change’s adverse effects. By fostering the development of affordable and accessible energy solutions, they play a crucial role in alleviating energy shortage and improving living conditions for underserved populations.

AFFILIATION

Binghamton University, State University of New York, USA

SUMMARY OF WINNING ENTRY

Discovery of the principles behind the Lithium-ion batteries, identified Lithium ion as the most promising charge carrier. Prof. Stanley Whittingham is the pioneer who uncovered the operational principles of Lithium-ion batteries. Stemming from his breakthrough in 1974, he built the first Lithium-ion battery, ushering in a new era in energy storage. He pioneered the concept of electrode intercalation and meticulously studied the diffusion of Lithium into various metal crystal lattices. He placed considerable emphasis on enhancing the structural stability and cyclability of batteries, utilizing techniques like multielectron intercalation reactions to boost both the stability and capacity of these devices.

SCALE OF IMPACT

Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized energy storage over the past decades, offering enhanced safety, compactness, convenience, and durability. Today, they form the backbone of a sprawling industry and are a foundational component of the modern world, powering more than 15 billion mobile devices and 26 million electric vehicles globally. The impact of Lithium-ion batteries is predicted to grow exponentially as the world shifts towards renewable energy sources. In this future, Lithium-ion battery technology, in combination with technologies like solar panels, will enable continuous and sustainable green energy production and storage.

MEANINGFUL CHANGE

The innovation of Lithium-ion battery marks a monumental shift in energy storage, significantly impacting billions of people on Earth. They underpin a multitude of electric devices, from smartphones to electric vehicles, thus enabling a more connected, mobile, and sustainable world. Furthermore, Lithium batteries’ high energy density and long-life cycle are pivotal in the transition to renewable energy sources, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating climate change’s adverse effects. By fostering the development of affordable and accessible energy solutions, they play a crucial role in alleviating energy shortage and improving living conditions for underserved populations.

AFFILIATION

Nam Can Tho University, Vietnam

SUMMARY OF WINNING ENTRY

Advancing disease-resistant rice varieties, ensuring global food security

The agricultural revolution was greatly propelled by the efforts of Professor Gurdev Singh Khush and Professor Xuan Vo-Tong in inventing and advancing disease-resistant rice varieties, contributing to the strengthening of global food security. Professor Vo-Tong has played a pivotal role in the advancement and dissemination of IR36 seeds across frequently pest-infested regions in the Mekong delta, collaborating with farmers to implement innovative transplanting techniques. This initiative led by Professor Vo-Tong expanded access to quality rice seeds and spurred increased rice production at lower costs, all without utilizing harmful chemicals.

SCALE OF IMPACT

By the 1980s, the IR36 rice variety was globally adopted, cultivated on up to 11 million hectares. By 2000, the widespread dissemination of IR36 and other rice varieties significantly boosted rice yields with production increasing by 600 million tons. Besides IR36, IR64 was also widely cultivated in over 10 million hectares within two decades of its release, making a positive impact on millions of lives worldwide. IR64 was first released in the Philippines in 1985, soon followed by releases in Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China, Ecuador, The Gambia, India, Indonesia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Vietnam, and the Sahelian regions of West Africa. By 2018, IR64 and its successive generations were extensively grown in many countries and became the most popular rice varieties in the Asian tropical regions, which exemplified their superior characteristics and exceptional adaptability.

MEANINGFUL CHANGE

Utilizing high-yield disease-resistant rice varieties like IR36 and IR64 not only reduces production costs and increases rice yield but also limits the use of pesticides, promoting sustainable agriculture globally. Additionally, advancements in global rice productivity ensure that access to a stable food supply becomes more equitable and reliable. This discovery has far-reaching impacts with potential effects on the socio-economic structure, environmental conservation, and global health, and plays a significant role in building a safer and more sustainable future for everyone.

Professor Leslie Gabriel Valiant is a British-American computer scientist and computational theorist who is currently the T. Jefferson Coolidge Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at Harvard University.

Professor Valiant is well-known for his work in theoretical computer science. He was awarded the A.M. Turing Award in 2010 for work in machine learning, computational complexity and parallel computation, having been described by the ACM as a heroic figure in theoretical computer science and a role model for his courage and creativity in addressing some of the deepest unsolved problems in science.

Professor Valiant also received the Nevanlinna Prize from the International Mathematical Union in 1986, the Knuth Prize in 1997, and the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science Award in 2008. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1991, and a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences in 2001.

Professor Valiant was educated at King’s College, University of Cambridge, followed by Imperial College London, and finally at the University of Warwick, where he received his Ph.D. in Computer Science in 1974. He started teaching at Harvard University in 1982, prior to which he taught at Carnegie Mellon University, Leeds University, and the University of Edinburgh.

Professor Sir Konstantin ‘Kostya’ Novoselov FRS was born in Russia in August 1974 and has dual British and Russian citizenship. He is best known for isolating graphene at The University of Manchester in 2004 and is an expert in condensed matter physics, mesoscopic physics, and nanotechnology.

Every year since 2014, Professor Novoselov has been included in the list of the most highly cited researchers in the world. Kostya holds the position of Tan Chin Tuan Centennial Professor at the National University of Singapore. He is also the part-time Langworthy Professor of Physics and the Royal Society Research Professor at The University of Manchester. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010 for his achievements with graphene.

He was awarded with numerous prizes, including Nicholas Kurti Prize (2007), International Union of Pure and Applied Science Prize (2008), MIT Technology Review young innovator (2008), Europhysics Prize (2008), Bragg Lecture Prize from the Union of Crystallography (2011), the Kohn Award Lecture (2012), Leverhulme Medal from the Royal Society (2013), Onsager medal (2014), Carbon medal (2016), Dalton medal (2016), and Otto Warburg Prize (2019) among many others. He was knighted in the 2012 New Year Honours. He graduated from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and undertook his PhD studies at the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands before moving to The University of Manchester in 2001. Later Professor Novoselov joined the National University of Singapore in 2019.

Professor Novoselov has published more than 400 peer-reviewed research papers.

Professor Daniel Kammen serves as James and Katherine Lau Distinguished Professor of Sustainability at the University of California, Berkeley (USA) with parallel appointments in the Energy and Resources, the Goldman School of Public Policy, and the Department of Nuclear Engineering.

He was appointed the first Environment and Climate Partnership for the Americas (ECPA) Fellow by Secretary of State Hilary R. Clinton in April 2010. Professor Kammen is currently on leave from the University of California while serving in the Biden Administration as the Senior Advisor for Energy Innovation at the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

He is a Permanent Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. In the United States, he serves on two National Academy of Sciences boards and panels.

Doctor Xuedong Huang is a leading computer scientist and technology executive in AI and Spoken Language Processing. He is currently the Chief Technology Officer at Zoom Video Communications (USA). Previously, he was a Microsoft Technical Fellow and Chief Technology Officer overseeing Microsoft Azure AI engineering and research, covering Microsoft’s core perceptive and cognitive AI pillars (Speech, Computer Vision, Natural Language, and Decision).

Dr. Huang has co-authored over 170 US patents, two books, and over 100 papers, including a historical speech recognition review with Raj Reddy and James K. Baker for Communications of the ACM reflecting several generations of spoken language R&D. His notable achievements include receiving the Allen Newell research excellence medal in 1992, and IEEE Speech Processing Best Paper in 1993. In 2016, Wired Magazine named him as one of “25 Geniuses Who Are Creating the Future of Business”.

He was recognized as an IEEE Fellow in 2000, and ACM Fellow in 2017 for his contributions to spoken language processing.

Dr. Huang was on the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University from 1989 to 1993. He received his Ph.D., MS, and BS from the University of Edinburgh, Tsinghua University, and Hunan University respectively.

Professor Văn-Chí Đặng received his BS in Chemistry (highest honors) from the University of Michigan and was awarded a Ph.D. in Chemistry (high distinction) from Georgetown University.

He received his MD (inducted to Alpha Omega Alpha and Phi Beta Kappa) and internal medicine residency training at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He trained in hematology-oncology at UCSF, where he did postdoctoral work on the MYC oncogene. Professor Đặng then returned to Johns Hopkins in 1987 where he established the first mechanistic link between a cancer gene (MYC) and cellular energy metabolism, contributing to the concept that genetic alterations in cancers re-program fuel utilization by tumors and render cancers addicted to certain fuel sources. This conceptual framework contributes to strategies for therapeutic targeting of cancer cell metabolism. His current work extends the role of MYC in cancer metabolism and the role of the circadian clock in metabolism and cancer.

He was Director of the Division of Hematology at Johns Hopkins Hospital (1993-2003) and was appointed Johns Hopkins Family Professor in Oncology Research and Vice Dean for Research at Johns Hopkins. In 2011, he became director of the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, and on July 1, 2017, he assumed the position of Scientific Director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, overseeing Ludwig branches located in the United States, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research Academy. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of Cancer Research, an AACR journal.

Professor Pascale Cossart is a pioneering cellular microbiologist who has made significant contributions to our understanding of how bacteria both infect, and survive within, host cells. She uses the food-borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes as a model, with her research paving the way for future therapeutics.

She is currently a Professor and Head of the Unité des Interactions Bactéries Cellules at the Pasteur Institute. She was also a Professor of Biochemistry at the Royal School of Medicine in Vientiane, Laos from 1974 – 1975 before working at Pasteur Institute in Paris from 1988 until the present.

Professor Cossart’s research provides a detailed picture of the factors which make Listeria such an effective infectious agent. She identified different proteins that Listeria uses to enter cells, move, and disseminate in tissues. Through the creation of a transgenic mouse model, she paved the way for in vivo studies. Professor Cossart has also unveiled new regulatory mechanisms in bacteria and is now deciphering how bacteria induce epigenetic changes during infection.

Professor Cossart has received several prestigious awards and recognitions, not only for her research but also for her role as a mentor and promoter of interdisciplinary collaboration. These awards include the Robert Koch Prize for biomedical science in 2007 in Germany, the Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine in 2008 in Switzerland, the Balzan Prize in 2013 in Italy, the 2014 FEBS | EMBO Women in Science Award, and most recently, the FEMS-Lwoff Award in 2019 in the UK. She became the Honorary Doctor of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden in 2020.

Professor Sir Richard Henry Friend, FRS holds the Cavendish Professorship of Physics at the University of Cambridge. He is Director of the Winton Programme for the Physics of Sustainability and of the Maxwell Centre. He is also a Tan Chin Tuan Centennial Professor at the National University of Singapore and serves as Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Singapore. In addition, he is one of the principal investigators in the new Cambridge-based Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (IRC) on nanotechnology and co-founder of Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) and Plastic Logic.

Owning more than 140 patents and having written or co-authored over 1,100 prestigious scientific publications worldwide, Professor Sir Richard Henry Friend, FRS is one of the most influential physicists in the world. He also serves as a Council member of many prestigious global Prizes.

He and his group have developed polymer-processing techniques for conjugated polymers and demonstrated non-linear electronic excitations through electrical and optical measurements. He is credited for the first construction of MOSFET (Metal Insulator Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) with polyacetylene as the active semiconductor; the demonstration of novel mechanisms of operation with novel behavior; and the first construction of the efficient, large-area, polymeric semiconductor LED’s (Light Emitting Diodes), based on polyphenylene-vinylene. His research on OLED has been used to develop flat screens, scroll screens, and motion screens for the future with the most well-known application of his research being the OLED TV. His work has also been applied to develop polymer field-effect transistors, light-emitting diodes, photoelectric diodes, optical pump-proof tubes, and direct-printed polymer transistors.

With a world-renowned reputation and numerous achievements in both research and teaching, Professor Sir Richard Henry Friend, FRS was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 2002. His notable honors and awards include the IEE’s Faraday Medal in 2003, the Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 2006, the Institute of Physics Katharine Burr Blodgett Medal, Prize with Dr. David Ffye in 2009, and the Millennium Technology Prize for the development of plastic electronics in 2010. He was knighted for “Services to Physics” in the 2003 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Vivian Yam is the Philip Wong Wilson Wong Professor in Chemistry and Energy and Chair Professor of Chemistry at The University of Hong Kong. She was elected a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, International Member (Foreign Associate) of US National Academy of Sciences, Foreign Member of Academia Europaea, Fellow of TWAS and Founding Member of Hong Kong Academy of Sciences.

She was Laureate of the 2011 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award. Professor Yam has also received a number of prestigious awards, including the RSC Centenary Medal, RSC Ludwig Mond Award, Porter Medal, FACS Foundation Lectureship Award, APA Masuhara Lectureship Award, JPA Eikohsha Award, JSCC International Award, State Natural Science Award, CCS-China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) Chemistry Contribution Prize, CCS Huang Yao-Zeng Organometallic Chemistry Award, Croucher Senior Research Fellowship, and others.

Her research interests include inorganic/organometallic chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, photophysics and photochemistry, and metal-based molecular functional materials for sensing, organic optoelectronics and energy research.

More information about Prof. Yam can be found at http://web.hku.hk/~wwyam/yam/homepage/

Alta (Aletta E.) Schutte is Professor and Principal Lead of the Cardiac, Vascular and Metabolic Medicine Theme in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, with a joint appointment as Professorial Fellow at the George Institute for Global Health. She is also Extraordinary Professor at the North-West University, South Africa. She has over 350 publications in the field of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. She is involved in numerous international consortia, such as the Global Burden of Disease study (Washington DC), the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (London), May Measurement Month initiative of the International Society of Hypertension, IDACO/IDCARS studies (Belgium), and is an invited author of the Lancet Commission of Hypertension.

She has been acknowledged for her work as winner of the Distinguished Woman Scientist in the Natural, Engineering and Life Sciences award, presented by the South African Department of Science and Technology; the NSTF South 32 TW Kambule Award; the British Association Medal from the Southern Africa Association for the Advancement of Science (S2A3), the Meiring Naude Medal from the Royal Society of South Africa, the AU-TWAS (African Union & The World Academy of Sciences) Award, and the 2019 African Union Kwame Nkrumah Regional Award for Scientific Excellence. She is a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology, the International Society of Hypertension and the Royal Society of South Africa; the Past President of the Southern African Hypertension Society (SAHS); and Immediate Past President of the International Society of Hypertension (ISH).

Professor Ngoc-Minh Do is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and is currently serving as the Vice Provost of VinUniversity.

Since 2002, he has been a faculty at UIUC, where he is currently the Thomas and Margaret Huang Endowed Professor in Signal Processing & Data Science in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and holds affiliate appointments with the Coordinated Science Laboratory, the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, the Department of Bioengineering, and the Department of Computer Science.

He was previously the Vice editor-in-chief of IEEE Transactions on Image Processing and member of IEEE Technical Committees on Signal Processing. In 2014, he was appointed IEEE Fellow for his contribution in image representation and computerized images. Professor Do believes that modern researchers need to have both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary understanding to develop novel ideas. With this in mind, he has made significant contributions in technology transfer as the Chief Technology Officer of Personify, scientific lead of Misfit, and Beckman Fellow at Center for Advanced Study, UIUC. Prof. Do has a strong research foundation with an H-Index of 60.

In addition to 70 scientific publications and 63 presentations at international conferences, Prof. Do has been honored with prestigious awards such as the NSF Career Award by the National Science Fund; Best Student Paper Award in the IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing (ICASSP); Most Innovative Paper Award at IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP); Xerox Award for researching Faculty, Technology University, UIUC and IEEE Best Paper Award.

He is also the recipient of the Best Doctoral Thesis Award from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne in 2001, University Medal from the University of Canberra, Australia in 1997, and Silver Medal in the 32nd International Mathematical Olympiad, Sweden (1991).

Professor Mônica Alonso Cotta obtained her B.Sc. and PhD in Physics from University of Campinas, Brazil and was a postdoctoral fellow at AT&T Bell Laboratories, USA. She is a full professor and currently Director of the Institute of Physics “Gleb Wataghin” at the University of Campinas, Brazil, where she also heads research at the Nano and Biosystems Laboratory.

She is the author of over 140 articles published in scientific journals and works as associate editor for ACS Applied Nano Materials.

Her research interests include semiconductor nanomaterials, from synthesis to biosensor fabrication, and applications of optical, electronic and scanning microscopy in the investigation of biomaterials and biological systems. She was a member of the Brazilian Physical Society Gender Relations Committee, ombudsperson for the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory and served two terms as scientific director for the Brazilian Materials Research Society, before assuming the role of president in 2020.

Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim is an infectious disease epidemiologist whose primary research focuses on understanding the evolving HIV epidemic in South Africa and preventing HIV in women.

She is the Scientific Director of CAPRISA and Pro-Vice Chancellor for African Health at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, and a Professor in Clinical Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, USA. She is a Fellow of The World Academy of Science; African Academy of Science; Academy of Science of South Africa, Royal Society of South Africa, and elected Member of the US National Academy of Medicine.

She was awarded the inaugural VinFuture Special Prize for Innovators from Developing Countries, in recognition of her ground-breaking research on HIV prevention.

Professor Ermias Kebreab is Associate Dean for Global Engagement in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, as well as Director of the World Food Center. He is a renowned scholar and skilled administrator with extensive experience in sustainable agriculture and animal science.

Professor Kebreab is the Sesnon Endowed Chair in the Department of Animal Science. He has conducted extensive research in developing strategies for using feed additives to reduce methane emissions from livestock and has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications.

He is the Chair of the United Nations FAO Technical Working Group on Feed Additives, a Committee Member for the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Panel on Anthropogenic Methane Emissions in the United States, and also serves on the NAS Committee for Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle. He is a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2019, “Emissions from Livestock and Manure Management.”

Prof. Thuc-Quyen Nguyen is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). She joined the faculty of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at UCSB in summer 2004. Prior to that, she was a research associate in the Department of Chemistry and the Nano Center at Columbia University, working with Professors Louis Brus and Colin Nuckolls on molecular self-assembly, nanoscale characterization and devices. She also spent time at the IBM Research Center at T. J. Watson (Yorktown Heights, NY) working with Richard Martel and Phaedon Avouris on molecular electronics.

Her current research interests are electronic properties of conjugated polyelectrolytes, interfaces in optoelectronic devices, charge generation and transport in organic semiconductors, new materials for organic solar cell applications, molecular self-assemblies, materials processing, nanoscale characterization of organic solar cells, and device physics.

Prof. Thuc-Quyen Nguyen is among the Top 1% Highly Cited Researchers in Materials Science and Cross-Field by Thomson Reuters and Clarivate Analytics. In addition, she has received numerous prestigious honors and awards, including: The 2015-2019 World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds; The 2019 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; The 2019 Hall of Fame – Advanced Materials; The 2016 Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry; The 2015 Alexander von Humboldt Senior Research Award; and many more.