Top minds share insights at Xplorer Forum

The 2024 Xplorer Forum, gathering approximately 500 scientists, researchers, and talents from all walks of life, kicked off at the Southern University of Technology and Science (SUSTech) on Saturday, discussing significant scientific topics such as advanced science and talent cultivation.

The 2024 Xplorer Forum kicks off at the Southern University of Technology and Science (SUSTech) on Saturday. Photos courtesy of the event organizers

During the two-day scientific gathering, a main forum and six parallel sessions covering fields including mathematics, physics, information and intelligence, engineering, materials science, and biological health were held.

Xue Qikun, president of SUSTech and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, delivered a speech during the main forum. “The forum aims to provide a broad platform for communication among young Chinese scientists, encouraging them to focus on original basic research, push boundaries, and stimulate innovative thinking,” Xue stated.

Xue Qikun, president of SUSTech and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, delivers a speech during the main forum.

Initiated by SUSTech and Shenzhen tech giant Tencent in 2021, the Xplorer Forum is now in its third edition and serves as a scientific exchange platform for the winners of the Xplorer Prize.

Han Qide, honorary president of the China Association for Science and Technology, presented a research report detailing the characteristics and innovations of the Xplorer Prize.

Established in 2018, the Xplorer Prize is a merit-based, no-strings-attached grant to outstanding young scientists who hold full-time positions on the mainland, Hong Kong, or Macao. Each year, 50 young scientists are chosen based on their potential to significantly impact scientific breakthroughs over the next 50 years.

According to the report, winners of the Xplorer Prize include 89 individuals listed among the Highly Cited Researchers, accounting for 30% of those under 45 in China on the Highly Cited Researchers list.

Renowned scientists also delivered keynote speeches at the forum.

Yao Qizhi, winner of the 2000 Turing Award and professor at Tsinghua University, speculated on the future development of artificial intelligence. Yao identified two prominent trends: the use of AI in more common scenarios, such as generating articles, images, videos, and scripts, as well as its application in interdisciplinary work, including AI-supported bionic robots, embodied AI, and new technologies that combine AI with quantum computing.

Brian Kobilka, winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and professor at Stanford University, shared his journey in medical research involving G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest family of signal-receiving molecules found in organisms, through a video presentation.

Kobilka recounted at the beginning of his scientific career he had to work part-time on weekends to support his family's finances. However, such challenges did not diminish his passion for scientific research. He spent 17 years resolving the structure of the first hormone-activated GPCR, laying a solid foundation for his eventual Nobel Prize.

Guo Gaitian, senior vice president of Tencent, stated during the forum that Tencent will firmly support scientists in their scientific exploration, with its commitment to make long-term investments in basic research.