Chinese, US scientists awarded UNESCO basic sciences prize

Two scientists from China and the United States will receive the prestigious UNESCO-Russia Mendeleev International Prize in the Basic Sciences at an award ceremony to be held on July 17 in Paris, France.

Pan Jianwei and Sergei S. Sheiko are the laureates of the third edition of the prize, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's statement on Friday.

"Basic sciences are the bedrock of everything we know; they are a common language, enabling international research cooperation and dialogue across disciplines and countries," said Khaled El-Enany, director-general of UNESCO.

"At a time of division or turbulence, they provide a sense of unity and help create further opportunities for new discoveries for the people," he said.

Pan, born in 1970, is a world-leading expert in quantum optics, quantum communications and quantum computation at the University of Science and Technology of China, or USTC. He is a professor at USTC and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

He is recognized for his seminal contributions to large-scale secure quantum communications and scalable quantum computation, according to UNESCO.

His team developed the Micius quantum science experiment satellite in 2016, enabling quantum key distribution and quantum teleportation over thousands of kilometers, and has demonstrated quantum computational advantage, bringing the prospect of a global quantum network from theory to reality.

"Having dedicated more than two decades to research in quantum information, our team looks back on its journey spanning from the Micius satellite to the Jiuzhang and Zuchongzhi quantum computing prototypes. Every leap forward has originated from fundamental scientific problems targeted at long-term strategic goals," said Pan in an article published in People's Daily on Sunday.

"Basic research serves not only as the wellspring and foundation of original breakthroughs, but also as the most solid underpinning for us to seize future industrial tracks and achieve high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology," said Pan in the article he wrote.

Established in 2019, the UNESCO-Russia Mendeleev International Prize in the Basic Sciences fosters scientific progress, science popularization and international cooperation. It honors the legacy of Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev, father of the Periodic Table, whose work laid the foundations of modern chemistry, physics and beyond.

The prize is awarded annually to two individuals for breakthrough discoveries or outstanding innovations with transformative socio-economic impact, upon the recommendation of an international jury of seven eminent scientists.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, on Saturday, also decided to honor Pan and his colleague Lu Chaoyang at USTC with the IEEE Photonics Society Quantum Electronics Award.

The award was created to recognize outstanding technical contributions to quantum electronics, either in fundamentals, applications, or both, according to IEEE, a professional association and nonprofit organization that focuses on advancing technology related to electricity and electronics. The institute said the prize is presented to Pan and Lu for their pioneering work on single photon sources and optical quantum computing.

Lu, born in 1982, is a chair professor at USTC and has served as the chairman of the World Association of Young Scientists since 2024.

His current research interests include quantum foundations, quantum computation, solid-state quantum photonics, quantum teleportation, superconducting circuits and tweezer atom arrays.