Two scientists from Beihang University, including Prof. Cheng Qunfeng from the School of Chemistry and Prof. Tian Daxin from the School of Transportation Science and Engineering, won the 2024 XPLORER PRIZE announced on August 26. This year, a total of 49 young scientists were awarded the prize.
Cheng Qunfeng is a professor and doctoral supervisor in the School of Chemistry at Beihang University. He has received several science and technology awards, including the Newton Advanced Fellowship, Meituan Green Tech Fund, Chinese Chemical Society Prize for Young Scientists, the Youth Chemistry Award of the Chinese Chemical Society, etc. He has been served as the executive deputy director of the Nanocomposites Division of the Chinese Society for Composite Materials and is on the editorial boards of Chinese Chemical Letters, Biomaterials Advances, and Giant.
Prof. Cheng has been engaged in the research of biomimetic nanocomposites. He discovered a new phenomenon involving “pores” that reduce the mechanical properties of nanocomposites and developed innovative strategies to lower porosity and enhance mechanical performance, leading to the creation of a series of lightweight, high-strength nanocomposites. He has published over 100 papers as the corresponding author in Science, Nature Materials, Nature Communications, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, etc. The total citation of his papers in Google Scholar is over 11,000, and the h-index reaches 60. He also holds 40 authorized domestic invention patents.
Tian Daxin is the vice dean and director of the Frontier Innovation Department of the Institute of Science and Technology at Beihang University. He also serves as the director of the Beijing Key Laboratory for Cooperative Vehicle Infrastructure Systems and Safety Control, and the deputy director of several academic organizations including the Unmanned Systems Committee of the Chinese Institute of Command and Control, the Intelligent Transportation Information Engineering Division of the Chinese Institute of Electronics, and the Intelligent Vehicles Committee of the China Computer Federation. Prof. Tian has also won the Newton Advanced Fellowship and has been recognized as an Outstanding Young Scholar in China's Frontiers of Engineering by the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Prof. Tian’s research focuses on intelligent connected vehicles, autonomous driving, and multimodal sensor fusion. He has published over 100 papers, authored 7 monographs, and held 51 authorized invention patents in these fields. He has led 12 major research programs, including National Key R&D Program of China and Key Programs of National Natural Science Foundation of China, and has received 14 science and technology awards and 5 teaching awards.
The XPLORER PRIZE, established in 2018, is a public welfare award initiated by Tencent Foundation and led by scientists. It is one of the highest-funded programs for young scientific talents in China. The prize, which awards a total of 3 million RMB to each winner within five years, aims to support young scientists in exploring uncharted scientific territories. No more than 50 scientists are selected for the prize each year. Previous recipients from Beihang University include Zhao Weisheng, Chen Huawei, Zhao Lidong, and Tao Fei.
Reviewed by: Li Jianwei
Edited by: Jia Aiping
Translated by: Tian Zimo
