Runwen Yao

Background: Mr. Yao earned his bachelor degree from Sun Yat-sen University in 2015 and is conducting his PhD research in the laboratory of Dr. Chen Lingling in SIBCB, CAS. His research interest mainly focused on the ultra-structure and function of several ncRNA-based nuclear bodies including PWS body, nucleolus, and paraspeckle.

Citation: Outstanding in all aspects. He is self-motivated, made the effort to dive into the technical details of the experimental methods in order to optimally apply them in his own project. Not only using the method in his current project, he was able to extend the research into other topics. He clearly realized the importance to organically combine technical advances to solve more critical problems. He is brave to explore new field and has broad knowledge. He could get listeners interested in his presentation. His answers are fairly precise and easily to understand, and captured probably the important aspect of being a good “experimental biologist” that bode well for his future. And he did it with an example without being prompted for it. In the future, he likes to be involved in further improvement of imagining techniques and is interested in evolution of nucleolus.

This prize is sponsored by The Yu and Wei Foundation.

Jie Chen

Background: Mr. Chen is conducting his Ph.D. research in the laboratory of Dr. Liu Ying in Peking University. He used C. elegans as a model animal to study metabolic signals and regulation.

Citation: He proactively started a new research direction in his lab and followed the direction with confidence and leadership. His discussions are systematic and has good ideas. He showed interests to apply basic research findings in clinical cases. He is persistent in pursuing the Ray Wu Prize, made marked improvement compared to the last two times. When asked about cancer responses to other metabolites or nutrients, he mentioned only glycolysis. He could give more emphasis on the significance of his work. He has taken ownership of the study and truly enjoys his work. He shows curiosity on interesting questions and strong passion.

This prize is sponsored by The Yu and Wei Foundation.

Yongcai Huang

Background: Mr. Huang got his BS degree in tobacco genetic breeding from Sichuan Agricultural University in 2015. He was recommended to admission to the graduate school of University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology. His mentor is Dr. Yongrui Wu. His projects are focused on Maize Endosperm Development and Genetic Improvement.

Citation: The breakthrough in his research project is largely by his effort. He has good knowledge of the research field. He is self-motivated, eager to show off himself, and considered the mentor as someone who guided him in methodology. He believed in his own vision when others did not agree. His presentation is assertive and logical. He answered questions very straightforwardly and clearly. He is humble, ambitious and passionate about his work. He knows Dr. Ray Wu’s work personally and likes to apply new discoveries in basic research in crop improvements.

This prize is sponsored by The Yu and Wei Foundation.

Huijuan Wu

Background: Ms. Wu received her BS from Shandong University in 2014, and entered the PhD program in National Institute of Biology Science, Beijing where he studies under Dr. Tang Nan in 2015. Her research work elucidates the underlying mechanisms of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a fatal lung disease.

Citation: Her knowledge of lung development is broad and in-depth. She impressed the panel with appropriate, careful answers and showed her exceptional understanding of multidiscipline approaches to address the broad spectrum of lung disease mechanisms. She demonstrated great concerns of animal welfare in research and is passionate about her work. Her future research plan is concrete and would like to expand in immunological research.

This prize is sponsored by The Yu and Wei Foundation.

Liang Qu

Background: Mr. Qu received his bachelor degree from Suzhou University in 2015. Qu is now a Ph.D student at Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center (BIOPIC) of Peking University, and he is advised by Prof. Wensheng Wei. He played an essential role in the development of a novel single-base RNA editing technology named LEAPER, which is a CRISPR- and foreign protein-independent method which is innovative and inspiring for basic and therapeutic research.

Citation: He is very familiar with various techniques and approaches of gene editing, knowing all the details. For instance, he has clearly defined reasons in selection of delivery vectors. He played a leading role in pushing forward the current project, and demonstrated his competence in independently designing the experiments. His answers are responsible and clear. Reveal many attractive new ideas and showed promises to become an excellent independent researcher in the future.

This prize is sponsored by The Yu and Wei Foundation.

Erping Long

Background: Mr. Long earned his bachelor degree from Sun Yat-sen University in 2015 and is conducting his PhD research in the laboratory of Dr. Liu Yizhi in Sun Yat-sen University. His research interest mainly focused on computational medicine.

Citation: He clearly wants to follow his own interests in career development. He developed his own methods to analyze data, complementary to the research interests of his mentor. He has an interest on unknown things after reading literatures and feels happy on what he is doing. He is confident and is interested in expanding his research in other areas.

This prize is sponsored by The Yu and Wei Foundation.

Jianhui Low

Background: Mr. LOW received his BS from Nanyang Technological University in 2016, and entered the PhD program in Nanyang Technological University, where he studies under Dr. Xia Yun in the same yeas. his graduate work mainly focused on stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.

Citation: He is the one who pointed out the key issue to get the project going and his work solved the problem of blood supply in the kidney organoid. During the protocol development, he displayed independent abilities. His interest is focused on tissue engineering, and is knowledgeable of many issues related to organoid studies, has a great potential in future development. He is very personable.

This prize is supported by the Ray Wu Memorial Fund.

Changyang Zhou

Background: Mr. Zhou got his BS degree from Chongqing Technological University in 2014, and is conducting his Ph.D program in the laboratory of Dr. Yang Hui in the institute of neuroscience, CAS. His research is focused on the optimization and application of gene editing technology based on CRISPR / cas9 system.

Citation: Very clear in his presentation of research, particularly his contributions and how he overcomes initial doubts by his mentor, and equally or not more importantly by others. However, his interest is narrowly in gene editing, mostly technically oriented. He does not seem to know much about other key topics in neuroscience research. He answered questions quickly and his presentation is very clear. Has a very clear view of his future directions, with promises in making major contributions in the field.

This prize is supported by the Ray Wu Memorial Fund.

Ruozhu Zhao

Background: Ms. Zhao received her bachelor’s degree from Nankai University and joined Dr. Qi Hai’s lab through the Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences PhD program in 2013. She is engaged in the research on the physiological functions of adaptive immune cells. Her research on the migration of B cells in the germinal center plays an important role in understanding the humoral immune response of gender differences.

Citation: Has in-depth understanding of the significance in relationship between biological characteristics and evolution. Her focus is only on the differences of GPRC pathways related to sex. She has excellent understanding of steps in B cell responses, showed that she is pretty clear in understanding the strength and weakness of her work.

This prize is supported by the Ray Wu Memorial Fund.

Zeshan Lin

Background: Mr. Lin achieved his bachelor degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 2016. He entered the PhD program in Northwestern Polytechnical University , where he studies under Dr. Wang Wen in 2016. His PhD thesis research was focused on revealing the genetic basis of special traits of reindeer.

Citation: He initiated the new research topic and his endurance awarded him with new discoveries earning honorable recognition. He showed a strong personality and has his own ideas. He is excited when he talked about his data analysis process. He is likely to be able to independently make new progress in this field.

This prize is supported by the Ray Wu Memorial Fund.

RWMF members at the Ray Wu Symposium 2021