Top scientists honoured at Shanghai World Laureates Forum

Three leading scientists were honored with the 2025 World Laureates Association (WLA) Prizes at the World Laureates Forum 2025, which opened Saturday in Shanghai’s Lingang Special Area.

The WLA Prize, established in 2021, recognizes groundbreaking work in computer science or mathematics and life science or medicine, awarding 10 million yuan ($1.4 million) in each category.

Richard Schoen, professor emeritus at Stanford University, received the prize in computer science or mathematics for pioneering work in geometric analysis and differential geometry. Shing-Tung Yau highlighted Schoen’s role in connecting geometry and analysis to form a central pillar of modern mathematics.

Three notable scientists receive the 2025 World Laureates Association Prize at the World Laureates Forum 2025, which kicks off on Saturday in Shanghai's Lingang Special Area. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The life science or medicine prize was shared by Scott Emr of Cornell University and Wesley Sundquist of the University of Utah for their discoveries on cellular machinery controlling receptor protein trafficking and degradation, crucial for understanding virus budding, infection, and HIV drug development. Nobel laureate

Randy Schekman noted that their findings directly contributed to therapies that block new HIV infections.

Under the theme “Science in Future”, the forum brought together 150 scientists from over 10 countries, including four Nobel laureates, four Turing Award winners, 16 Chinese top academicians, and more than 100 young innovators worldwide.