At the age of 28, Zhao Baodan was selected as the winner of "35 Technological Innovators under the Age of 35" by MIT Technology Review in 2019.
She is now the youngest researcher and doctoral supervisor in the College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University.
Ten young scientists, including Zhao Baodan and Liang Wenhua, received 10 million yuan in prize money from Alibaba Dharma Academy in 2020, according to today's list of winners of the DAMO Academy Young Fellow. The scientists, whose average age is under 32, were also encouraged by Zhong Nanshan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering: "When you are in the best of times, remember to seize the opportunities."
The DAMO Academy Young Fellow is a non-profit award launched by Alibaba Dharma Academy in 2018. It is aimed at young Chinese scholars aged 35 and under to identify and support those who have a key role in promoting scientific and technological progress. In addition to the prize money, the winners will also receive open data, application scenarios and other comprehensive scientific research support provided by Ali.
The award is not only about qualifications, resumes, papers or family background, and attracts many top young scholars to apply for it every year. A total of 317 valid applications have been received for the 2020 DAMO Academy Young Fellow. In addition, 23 academicians, 2 Turing Award winners and 29 IEEE/ACM fellows have recommended their candidates to The Dharma Academy by writing letters of recommendation.
This year's "Core 10" has a vast hinterland in the field of scientific research, including applied sciences such as chips, industrial control software, artificial intelligence and materials devices, basic mathematics and interdisciplinary subjects such as medical big data.
For example, Yang Shiwu, an assistant professor at Peking University who was once known as a "math genius" for winning an international gold medal in Olympic Numbers, has now become a real mathematician, partly solving the ancient conjecture that charged particles decay. Liang Wenhua, a doctor from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, studied medicine and big data. During the coVID-19 outbreak, he participated in the research of Zhong Nanshan's team and established a severe coVID-19 prediction model.
Zhang Jianfeng, President of Alibaba Dharma Institute, said, "We are proud to see that these young scholars truly represent the 'hard core requirements' of The Times. Their firm scientific faith, pursuit of excellence in their work and remarkable scientific achievements are encouraged by the Award. "Dharma Institute supports young scientific talents without seeking any return. "Your growth and progress is the best reward to the society. Only when more young people invest in basic scientific research can the original innovation ability of the society be enhanced."