Announcement of 2025 AYS Fellows

Written By kristine mo

On September 5, 2025, Asian Young Scientist Fellowship (AYSF) is pleased to officially announce the new cohort of twelve AYS Fellows as the fellowship recipients in the 2025 Selection Round. These accomplished early-career scientists from China (Mainland, Hong Kong SAR, and Taiwan Region), Japan, Korea, and Singapore have been chosen for their exceptional scientific contributions and potential in their respective fields.

Supports Young Scientists: This year's AYS Fellows are all within 7 to 10 years of completing their doctorates. They are at a critical starting point in their independent research careers, a golden period for scientists to develop creative ideas and pioneer new directions.

Supports Creative and Transformative Research: The AYS Fellows' research encompasses chromatin-associated RNA modifications in cell fate determination, interoceptive signal processing for cognitive enhancement, microglial cell replacement therapy for neurodegenerative diseases, brain-machine interfaces with flexible bioelectronics, nickelate superconductor discovery and unconventional superconductivity exploration, ultrafast spectroscopy for chemical reactions, sustainable base metal catalysis and skeletal editing transformations, fractional quantum anomalous Hall effects in low-dimensional materials, deep learning-based recommender systems and human-centric AI, mathematical fluid dynamics and singularity formation analysis, algebraic geometry with dynamical techniques, and multi-hop reasoning in large language models. Their research focuses on breakthroughs at the frontiers of science and driving transformative advancements.

Encourages Interdisciplinary Innovation: In addition to supporting young scientists in the three major categories of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Mathematics & Computer Science, the Asian Young Scientist Fellowship emphasizes fostering interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary innovation. This vision is already reflected in the selection of 2025 AYS Fellows: Dr. Seongjun Park, for advancing cutting-edge research in neurotechnologies and brain–machine interfaces. Three 2024 AYS Fellows were selected for their interdisciplinary research innovation: Dr. Mengdi Han, for pioneering bioelectronics and wearable/implantable sensors; Dr. Shuangjia Zheng leverages AI to accelerate drug discovery; and Dr. Mahipal Ganji, for opening new frontiers in DNA biophysics and single-molecule imaging. By encouraging such cross-disciplinary breakthroughs, the AYSF seeks to empower young scientists to transcend traditional boundaries and drive transformative directions for the future of science.

2025 Life Science Fellows

From left to right:

- Ling Bai, Assistant Investigator, Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing (CIBR);

- Jun Liu, Assistant Professor, Peking University;

- Seongjun Park, Associate Professor, Seoul National University;

- Bo Peng, Professor, Fudan University.

2025 Physical Science Fellows

From left to right:

- Ming Joo Koh, Professor, National University of Singapore;

- Danfeng Li, Associate Professor, City University of Hong Kong;

- Tingxin Li, Associate Professor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University;

- Kiyoshi Miyata, Associate Professor, Kyushu University.

2025 Mathematics and Computer Science Fellows

From left to right:

- Xiangnan He, Professor, University of Science and Technology of China;

- In-Jee Jeong, Associate Professor, Seoul National University;

- Hsueh-Yung Lin, Associate Professor, National Taiwan University;

- Wenya Wang, Assistant Professor, Nanyang Technological University.

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

About Us

Asian Young Scientist Fellowship (AYSF) is a privately funded research fellowship in the Asian region. It aims to encourage and support young scientists in Asia to carry out creative and transformative research. 

The AYSF annually selects 12 early-career researchers in fundamental science disciplines: 1) Life Sciences, 2) Physical Sciences, and 3) Mathematics and Computer Science. Each fellow receives $100,000 USD over two years to support their research, along with benefits from participating in the AYSF annual conference, academic activities, and access to a network of young scientists across Asia and globally. 

The selection process is based on nomination. Eligible candidates must be within 10 years of completing their terminal degree (Ph.D./MD) and hold a full-time academic position in Asia, currently covering China (mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan), India, Japan, Korea, and Singapore. Nominated candidates are required to submit a complete application for review. The Selection Committee, consisting of esteemed scientists from Asia and around the world, conducts a comprehensive review to assess the candidate’s past research achievements and future research potential.  

Reference Links:

kristine mo
Next

AYS Webinar Summary - Session 5: Unifying Principles of Hierarchical Organization: Assembly, Function, and Dysregulation in Biology