World Laureates Association announces 2025 prize winners

The World Laureates Association (WLA) announced its laureates for 2025 in Shanghai on Wednesday, recognizing groundbreaking contributions in the fields of life and mathematical sciences.

Scott D Emr, a professor of molecular biology and genetics at Cornell University, and Wesley I Sundquist, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Utah, shared the 2025 WLA Prize in Life Science or Medicine.

Their research has led to breakthrough discoveries in the cellular mechanisms of receptor membrane protein transport and degradation, which are closely related to the understanding of viral budding, infection processes and the development of therapeutic interventions for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).

The 2025 WLA Prize in Computer Science or Mathematics was awarded to Richard Schoen, professor emeritus at the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University, for his foundational work in geometric analysis and differential geometry, including seminal results on conformal partial differential equations, minimal surfaces, general relativity, harmonic maps and the Yamabe problem.

Established in Shanghai in 2021, the WLA Prize is supported by venture capital and private equity firm HSG, formerly known as Sequoia Capital China, with permanent funding, and aims to honor scientists worldwide.

The prize includes two categories, with each offering a monetary award of 10 million yuan ($1.4 million), making it one of the most lucrative scientific awards globally. Since its inception, the WLA Prize has honored 12 scientists over four editions, with its international influence and prestige rising steadily.

The 2025 WLA Prize award ceremony will coincide with the opening of the 2025 World Laureates Forum in Shanghai on Oct 24, where the three laureates are expected to attend and receive their awards.