October 23, 2025 The University of Hong Kong

2025 Asian Young Scientist Fellowship Annual Conference

Asian Young Scientist Fellowship will hold the 2025 Asian Young Scientist Fellowship Annual Conference on October 23, 2025, at the University of Hong Kong, in Hong Kong SAR.

The new cohort of twelve 2025 AYS Fellows will gather together at the Annual Conference to showcase their research work and innovative ideas. The Annual Conference aims to highlight the achievements of young scientists in the Asian region and to promote interdisciplinary and international exchanges to stimulate innovation and collaboration.

    • 12 outstanding 2025 AYS Fellows from China (Mainland, Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan Region), Japan, Korea and Singapore. Click here to learn more.

    • We are very honored to have Randy Schekman, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine 2013, and Professor at UC Berkeley, PI at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, to participate in this year’s AYSF Annual Conference. Click here to learn more.

    • Some of our 2023 and 2024 AYS Fellows will participate in this year’s annual conference to learn a new cohort of fellows. Click here to learn more participating past fellows.

    • 20 esteemed AYSF Committee Members from around the world, come to witness and celebrate the moments of the new 12 AYS Fellows. Click here to learn more.

    • Four open sessions in the morning (Life Science, Physical Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science) are designed to fully demonstrate and celebrate the scientific achievements of the fellows. All these sessions are open to the public.

    • Click here to learn more.

Register morning open sessions

Participating 2025 AYS Fellows

  • Ling Bai

    Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing (CIBR)

  • Jun Liu

    Peking University

  • Seongjun Park

    Seoul National University

  • Bo Peng

    Fudan University

  • Ming Joo Koh

    National University of Singapore

  • Danfeng Li

    City University of Hong Kong

  • Tingxin Li

    Shanghai Jiao Tong University

  • Kiyoshi Miyata

    Kyushu University

  • In-Jee Jeong

    Seoul National University

  • Hsueh-Yung Lin

    National Taiwan University

  • Xiangnan He

    University of Science and Technology of China

  • Wenya Wang

    Nanyang Technological University

Learn More

Invited Nobel Prize Laureate - Randy Schekman

Randy Schekman

Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine 2013;

Professor at UC Berkeley, PI at Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Dr. Randy Schekman is a Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He studied the enzymology of DNA replication as a graduate student with Arthur Kornberg at Stanford University. His current interest in cellular membranes developed during a postdoctoral period with S. J. Singer at the UC Diego. Among his awards are the Gairdner International Award, the Albert Lasker Award in Basic Medical Research and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which he shared with James Rothman and Thomas Südhof. He served as the Editor of the Annual Reviews of Cell and Developmental Biology and as Editor-in-Chief of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and eLife. Beginning in 2018, Schekman has served as the Scientific Director of “Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s Disease” a major philanthropic effort organized along with The Michael J. Fox Foundation to identify molecular and cellular mechanisms in the initiation and progression of Parkinson’s Disease (https://parkinsonsroadmap.org).

This year’s AYSF Annual Conference, we are very honored to have Professor Schekman’s participation. He will give a keynote speech with a Q&A session titled Cells, genes and discovery in basic science and disease in the morning open session of the conference. We warmly welcome attention from the public.

Professor Randy Schekman’s fascination with science began with a toy microscope, observing single-celled organisms in motion. This early curiosity evolved into a lifelong pursuit of understanding life at the molecular level.

In his first year as a Berkeley faculty member, Professor Schekman, together with his PhD student Peter Novick, initiated pioneering research to identify genes that control protein secretion. Using yeast as a model organism, his lab developed genetic and biochemical methods that revealed the machinery responsible for protein trafficking within and out of cells. These genes and pathways were later found to be conserved in humans, governing the secretion of hormones, growth factors, and neurotransmitters. The discovery not only advanced fundamental cell biology but also led to practical applications, including the production of therapeutic proteins such as insulin and insights into genetic diseases.

Professor Schekman will also discuss his lab’s current efforts to uncover the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying Parkinson’s disease.

Participating 2023&2024 AYS Fellows

Participating AYSF Committee Members

  • Florent GINHOUX

    Senior Principal Investigator, Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) of Singapore

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  • Wanjin HONG

    Chief Business Development Officer of Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) and Professor and Research Director, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR

    Read Bio

  • Hee-Sup SHIN

    Honorary Fellow, Institute for Basic Science (IBS)

    Read Bio

  • Xiaofan WANG

    Distinguished Professor, School of Medicine, Duke University

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  • Jing-Ke WENG

    Inaugural Director, Institute for Plant-Human Interface; Professor of Chemistry, Chemical Biology, and Bioengineering, Northeastern University

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  • Hong WU

    Professor, School of Life Sciences, Peking University

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  • Hong DING

    T. D. Lee Chair Professor, Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; 2025 Future Science Prize-Physical Science Prize Laureate

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  • Rajesh GOPAKUMAR

    Distinguished Professor, International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (ICTS-TIFR)

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  • Zhaomin HOU

    Chief Scientist, Organometallic Chemistry Laboratory, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research Group Director, Advanced Catalysis Research; Group, Deputy Center Director, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science

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  • Dawei MA

    Research professor of Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, and chaired professor of Southern University of Science and Technology; 2018 Future Science Prize-Physical Science Prize Laureate

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  • Nanlin WANG

    Chair Professor, International Center for Quantum Materials, Peking University

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  • Hongming WENG

    Professor of Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

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  • Hiroshi YAMAMOTO

    Professor of Institute for Molecular Science

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  • Indranil BISWAS

    Professor of Mathematics at Shiv Nadar University

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  • K.-T. Tim CHENG

    Vice-President, Research and Development, Chair Professor of Departments of Electronic and Computer Engineering and Computer Science and Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)

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  • Katsushi IKEUCHI

    Emeritus Professor, University of Tokyo; Sr. Principal Research Manager, Microsoft

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  • Jong Hae KEUM

    Professor, School of Mathematics, Korea Institute for Advanced Study

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  • Akihiro NAKAO

    Professor, Department of Systems Innovation, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

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  • Vijaykrishnan NARAYANAN

    Associate Dean of Innovation, College of Engineering, the Pennsylvania State University

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  • Yao YAO

    Associate professor of Mathematics, National University of Singapore;  2023 Asian Young Scientist Fellow - Mathematics and Computer Science

    Read Bio

Event Agenda

Morning Session (Open) - Asian Young Scientist Fellowship General Assembly

Venue: Multi-purpose Area (MPA), 2/F, Main Library, The University of Hong Kong

Time Session

10:00 – 11:05 Asian Young Scientist Fellowship General Assembly

Opening Remarks

  • HKU Representative (TBC)

  • AYSF Representative

    - Tim Cheng, Chair of 2025 Steering Committee, Asian Young Scientist Fellowship; Vice-President, Research and Development, Chair Professor of Departments of Electronic and Computer Engineering and Computer Science and Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)

Life Science Session

  • Opening by Committee Representative

    - Hee-Sup Shin, Member of Steering Committee, Asian Young Scientist Fellowship; Honorary Fellow, Institute for Basic Science (IBS)

  • Award Ceremony (including acceptance speech and group photo)

Physical Science Session

  • Opening by Committee Chair

    -Hongming Weng, Chair of 2025 Physical Science Sub-Committee, Asian Young Scientist Fellowship; Professor of Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

  • Award Ceremony (including acceptance speech and group photo)

Mathematics Session

  • Opening by Committee Chair

    -Jong Hae Keum, Chair of 2025 Mathematics Sub-Committee, Asian Young Scientist Fellowship; Professor, School of Mathematics, Korea Institute for Advanced Study

  • Award Ceremony (including acceptance speech and group photo)

Computer Science Session

  • Opening by Committee Chair

    -Akihiro Nakao, Chair of 2025 Computer Science Sub-Committee, Asian Young Scientist Fellowship; Professor, Department of Systems Innovation, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

  • Award Ceremony (including acceptance speech and group photo)

Group Photo for all Committee members, Donors and Fellows

11:05 – 11:35 Keynote Address, including Q&A Session - “Cells, Genes and Discovery in Basic Science and Disease”

  • Randy Schekman, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine 2013; Professor at UC Berkeley, PI at Howard Hughes Medical Institute

11:35 – 12:20 Panel Discussion - “Building the Asian Scientific Research and Innovation Ecosystem”

Moderator:

  • Stephanie Ma, Founding Member of The Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences; Associate Vice President (Research and Innovation), HKU

  Panelists:

  • Tim Cheng, Chair of 2025 Steering Committee, Asian Young Scientist Fellowship; Vice-President for Research and Development, Chair Professor of Departments of Electronic and Computer Engineering and Computer Science and Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) 

  • George Hara, Group Chairman & CEO of DEFTA Partners

  • Wanjin Hong, Member of 2025 Selection Committee, Asian Young Scientist Fellowship; Chief Business Development Officer of Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) and Professor and Research Director, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR 

  • Randy Schekman, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine 2013; Professor at UC Berkeley, PI at Howard Hughes Medical Institute 

  • Jenny Zeng, Founding Donor, Asian Young Scientist Fellowship; Founder and Managing Partner of MSA Capital; Member, Council of the Future Forum

12:30 – 14:00 Luncheon (by invitation only)

14:30 – 17:00 Subject-based Academic Seminars and Visits hosted by Faculties (by invitation only)

Interactive Sessions for Fellows to engage in in-depth dialogue with different Faculties of HKU

  • Life Science

  • Physical Science

  • Mathematics

  • Computer Science

17:30 – 19:00 Cocktail Reception (by invitation only)

Register morning open sessions