The 2020 award list includes 25 leading scholars from 14 countries around the world

At a time when we need evidence-based policy more than ever, the recognition of young scientists is essential. COVID-19 has inadvertently diverted public attention from other research efforts -- albeit those that address pressing world problems -- but more than ever we need science to examine, predict and explain the human and ecological impacts of different phenomena. The young scientists are nominated by leading research institutions based on criteria such as research excellence, leadership potential and aspirations to serve the community.

The distinguished scholars, all under the age of 40, were selected for their achievements in broadening the boundaries of knowledge and advancing the practical application of science in fields as diverse as child psychology, chemical oceanography and artificial intelligence.

Eight of this year's young scientists are studying in Europe, seven in Asia, six in the Americas, two in South Africa and two in the Middle East. Of the 25 young scientists, 15 (more than half) are women.

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Africa

Sarah Fawcett

University of Cape Town

Fawcett studies the role of ocean chemistry and biology in climate and the impact of human activities on the Marine environment by measuring elements such as carbon and nitrogen

Salome Maswime

University of Cape Town

Maswime studies health systems in low-resource areas and causes of maternal deaths during caesarean sections to improve surgical techniques in countries

The americas

Gao wei

California Institute of Technology

Gao has developed a wearable skin interface biosensor that can be analyzed through sweat rather than blood, enabling noninvasive and real-time analysis for timely medical interventions

Francisca Garay

Catholic University of Chile

Garay is studying the most fundamental building blocks of the universe by developing technologies that enhance the capabilities of particle accelerators

Diego Garcia-Huidobro

Catholic University of Chile

Garcia-huidobro uses a person-centred design approach to develop sustainable and scalable community-level health interventions in Chile

Jennifer Ronholm

McGill University, Canada

Ronholm is working on techniques to enhance the microbiome of livestock so that they can resist infection even in the absence of antibiotics, thereby reducing the spread of antibiotic resistance

Stefanie Sydlik

Carnegie Mellon University

Sydlik designs new materials that stimulate the body's healing response and encourage the regeneration of natural bone, thus replacing metal grafts currently used to heal bone injuries

Fatma Zeynep Temel

Carnegie Mellon University

Temel uses mathematical models and physical prototypes to test and explore biomimetic designs to advance the development of small robots and sensors

Asia

Lee Sue-Hyun

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Lee studies how memories are awakened and updated, and how emotional processes affect human memory to provide therapeutic interventions for psychiatric disorders

monk

Tsinghua university,

Munk studies to understand the socioeconomic causes of population aging and declining population ratios, and proposes public policy measures and innovations that can address these problems

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Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Shi Ling studies the vulnerability of cyber-physical systems to protect critical security infrastructure, such as power companies and water delivery systems, from attacks

Sho Tsuji

The university of Tokyo

How does the Tsuji study understand how an infant's social environment affects its language acquisition, a key indicator of future literacy, to provide culturally sensitive, science-based social interventions

U thant

Zhejiang university,

U Thant is working on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to improve its ability to detect tumors and strokes and monitor fetal brain development

Yi Li

Peking University

Daisy

The European

Celeste Carruth

Eth Zurich

Carruth is working on a new 2D ion trap experiment to study quantum information processing. This approach is more reliable and cheaper to scale up than competing technologies, promising a breakthrough in quantum computing

Nicola Gasparini

Imperial College London

Gasparini is developing new technologies to treat severe and incurable vision problems caused by retinal degeneration, which affects nearly 200 million people worldwide

Joe Grove

Imperial College London

Grove investigates how viruses enter human cells and evade the immune system, revealing new biological properties and helping to design future vaccines

Philip Moll

Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne

Moll is developing new methods to make microscale modifications to material structures that are expected to improve quantum computing

Mine Orlu

University College London

Orlu is designing medicines and medical technologies that are tailored to patients' conditions and help people stay healthy as they age

Michael Saliba

University of Stuttgart

Saliba is developing affordable, stable and efficient perovskite solar cells that will accelerate the development of sustainable energy technologies

Andy Tay

Imperial College London

Tay is developing new technologies and materials to engineer immune cells, tissues and systems to prevent and treat cancer

Jan Dirk Wegner

Eth Zurich

Wegner has developed new artificial intelligence methods to analyze large-scale environmental data and improve humans' ability to solve ecological problems

In the Middle East

Joseph Costantine

American University of Beirut

Costantine uses electromagnetism to design a new generation of wireless communication systems, biomedical sensors, and wirelessly powered devices through RF energy harvesting

Joanna Doummar

American University of Beirut