Sequoia China Solely Funds Inaugural World Laureates Association Prize; Winners Announced in Shanghai

On September 29, the inaugural World Laureates Association Prize (hereinafter referred to as the “WLA Prize”) was officially announced in Shanghai, China.

American computer scientist and statistician Michael I. Jordan, for his“for making fundamental contributions to the theoretical foundations of machine learning and its applications”Recipient of the “Intelligent Science or Mathematics Award”; German biochemist Dirk Görlich, for his“Key Discoveries on the Mechanism and Selectivity of Protein Transport Between the Cytoplasm and the Nucleus”Awarded the "Life Science or Medicine Prize." Each individual prize carries a cash award of RMB 10 million. The two laureates will travel to Shanghai in early November this year to attend the award ceremony.

The Top Scientists Association Prize is a prestigious scientific award initiated by the World Laureates Association (hereinafter referred to as the “Association”), organized by the Shanghai World Laureates Association Development Foundation, open to scientists worldwide, and benchmarked against the highest academic standards globally. As the exclusive donor of the prize, Sequoia China will support its sustainable operation.

Winner Introduction:Michael I. Jordan, born in 1956, is an American computer scientist and statistician. He currently serves as a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences and the Department of Statistics at the University of California, Berkeley. His primary research interests include artificial intelligence, biological systems and computational biology, control, intelligent systems and robotics, signal processing, and machine learning.

Reason for the Award: For making fundamental contributions to the theoretical foundations of machine learning and its applications.

Professor John Hennessy, Chair of the Selection Committee for the WLA Prize in Intelligent Science or Mathematics and recipient of the 2017 Turing Award, stated: “Professor Michael I. Jordan is a pioneer in the field of machine learning. By establishing connections among machine learning, probability theory, statistics, and graphical models, he has laid the mathematical and computational foundations for machine learning. The interplay among these fields has not only facilitated research and development in machine learning but also enhanced both the quality and quantity of research outputs in related disciplines.”

Machine learning is the cornerstone of artificial intelligence. Professor Jordan has worked in the field of machine learning for nearly 30 years and is one of the pioneers who truly applied machine learning to specific topic models, such as text analysis and image analysis. Over the past decade, the application of machine learning has seen explosive growth in many fields, such as autonomous vehicles, X-ray analysis, and protein folding prediction, all of which rely on the theoretical framework shaped by Professor Jordan’s research.

Meanwhile, Professor Jordan’s contributions to computer science also extend to education. He has supervised more than 80 doctoral students and over 60 postdoctoral researchers, many of whom are now active at leading academic institutions worldwide, driving the field forward.

Award Winner Introduction:Dirk Görlich, born in 1966, is a German biochemist. He currently serves as a Scientific Member and Director at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Germany. His primary research interests include intracellular transport, the nuclear pore complex, importins and exportins, intrinsically disordered proteins and phase separation, and recombinant antibodies.

Reason for the Award: For key discoveries concerning the mechanisms and selectivity of protein transport between the cytoplasm and the nucleus.

Proteins are the material foundation of life, harboring the secrets of vital activities. “Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, which serve as the genetic blueprint within the cell nucleus and encode all the information necessary for producing proteins that catalyze life processes. To synthesize these protein molecules, communication between the interior and exterior of the nucleus is essential.” Professor Randy Schekman, winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and Chair of the Selection Committee for the Top Scientists Association Award in Life Sciences or Medicine, explained while interpreting Professor Görlich’s achievements: It had long been established in the scientific community that protein transport between the plasma membrane and the nucleus is selective; however, the mechanisms underlying this selectivity and translocation remained unclear. Professor Görlich was the first to discover importins, the proteins responsible for recognizing nuclear protein signals and mediating their interaction. Since establishing his independent research career, he has continued to make numerous fundamental discoveries, thereby revolutionizing research in this field.

A finding that further underscores the originality and significance of his work is his discovery of the gel-like phase of the nuclear pore complex. It is this gel-like substance that enables the selective transport and passage of RNA molecules and small protein molecules into the cytoplasm through the nuclear pores. Today, research into the mechanisms of protein transport within this gel-like matrix has profoundly influenced fundamental studies and expanded into clinical applications. For example, “understanding and controlling the molecular delivery mechanisms and their interactions with the nucleus during diagnostic and therapeutic procedures is crucial for the clinical assessment of disease treatment,” stated Schekman.

Over the past eight years, Professor Gerlich’s papers have been consistently highly cited by the scientific community, showing a year-on-year upward trend, which demonstrates the growing importance of his research field and the increasing impact of his research outcomes.

The Top Scientists Association Award was officially established at the 4th World Laureates Forum held in Shanghai in November 2021. The award selection process adopts a nomination system, with the evaluation bodies comprising a Review Committee and a Selection Committee, both composed of distinguished scientists from relevant disciplines in the international scientific community. The Selection Committee reviews all eligible nominations to generate a list of candidates for each individual award; the Review Committee then deliberates to produce a list of awardees; finally, the Top Scientists Association Award Management Committee conducts the final approval to confirm the ultimate recipients.

Professor Roger Kornberg, the 2006 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Chair of the World Top Scientists Association (WTSA), and Chair of both the WTSA Prize Management Committee and the Review Committee, stated that the WTSA Prize aims to uncover and recognize critically important basic scientific achievements and original key discoveries. It targets outstanding scientists who have not been widely acknowledged by other major awards but undoubtedly deserve such recognition. Through persistent efforts, the WTSA is confident in establishing this science prize, founded in China and supported by non-governmental forces, as a world-class scientific award with significant international influence and credibility. At the press conference, Professor Michael Levitt, Vice Chair of the WTSA and the 2013 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, announced the list of laureates on behalf of the WTSA. Professor Yang Wei, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, former President of Zhejiang University, and former Director of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, traveled specifically to Shanghai to attend the press conference and delivered remarks on behalf of the scientific community.

Shen Nanpeng, Founding and Managing Partner of Sequoia China and the exclusive donor of the Top Scientists Association Award, stated that since the beginning of this century, global technological advancements have brought about revolutionary and far-reaching impacts, with scientific progress accelerating at an unprecedented pace. Sequoia China bears the responsibility and obligation to strengthen its support for frontier technologies and basic sciences, encouraging more individuals to undertake more “difficult yet right” endeavors in the field of science.

Wu Xiangdong, Executive Chairman of the Top Scientists Association and Chair of the Top Scientists Association Prize Management Committee, revealed that the inaugural Top Scientists Association Prize Award Ceremony will be grandly held in early November at the opening ceremony of the 5th World Laureates Forum. The two laureates have been invited to Shanghai to attend the award ceremony and a series of forum events.

The World Laureates Association Prize is a global scientific award initiated by the World Laureates Association, organized by the Shanghai World Laureates Association Development Foundation, and awarded to scientists worldwide. It was officially established on November 1, 2021, at the 4th World Laureates Forum. Sequoia China, as the exclusive donor of the WLA Prize, will support the sustainable development of this award.

The Top Scientists Association Awards are presented annually. Currently, two individual categories have been established: the “Award for Intelligent Science or Mathematics” and the “Award for Life Science or Medicine.” Each category carries a cash prize of RMB 10 million, placing it among the highest-value scientific awards globally. Up to four laureates may jointly receive and share the prize for each category.

The World Top Scientists Association Awards aim to recognize and support the contributions of outstanding researchers and technological pioneers from around the world to science. The selection process follows the internationally recognized nomination system, and candidates’ influence in their respective fields will be comprehensively evaluated through multiple dimensions, including patents, publications, conference presentations, and peer reviews. There are no restrictions on nationality, gender, age, or other factors for candidates.

For more information on awards, please visit:www.wlaprize.org

The World Laureates Association (WLA) is the world’s largest non-governmental, non-profit organization of scientists. Guided by its mission of “Science and Technology for a Shared Future for Humanity,” it is committed to fulfilling three core mandates: advancing basic science, advocating international cooperation, and supporting the growth of young talent. The WLA facilitates productive scientific research and academic exchanges between global scientists and their counterparts in China and other countries around the world.

The Shanghai World Laureates Forum Development Foundation is a non-public fundraising foundation of a public welfare and charitable nature, dedicated to supporting and advancing the purposes and mission of the World Laureates Association by mobilizing social resources.

Sequoia China is committed to helping entrepreneurs build enduring, great companies by providing its portfolio companies with abundant global resources and valuable historical expertise. As “entrepreneurs behind entrepreneurs,” Sequoia China focuses on investment opportunities in technology, healthcare, and consumer sectors. Over the past 17 years, it has invested in more than 900 enterprises characterized by distinct technological advantages, innovative business models, and high growth potential. Upholding its important mission of promoting technological innovation, Sequoia China actively fulfills its social responsibilities in areas such as scientific and technological innovation, talent development in science and technology, and the cultivation of high-tech enterprises. To this end, it has exclusively established the “Top Laureates Association Award” to inspire and advance scientific progress and industrial development in China and for humanity as a whole.

For more information on awards, please visit:www.wlaprize.org