On August 25, the recipients of the 7^th Xplorer Prize were announced, with Professor Shujia ZHU from the School of Life Sciences at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) recognized for her achievements in the field of life sciences.

Established in 2018, the Xplorer Prize was co-founded by 14 renowned scientists—including Chen-Ning YANG, Yi RAO, Jianwei PAN, Wen GAO, Yigong SHI, and Xiaoliang Sunney XIE—together with Tencent founder Pony MA.

As a scientist-led public-interest initiative, the award is designed to focus on the future, reward potential, and encourage exploration. It supports young researchers who explore uncharted areas of science and technology across ten fields, ranging from mathematical physics, new chemical materials, astronomy and earth sciences, life sciences, medical science, information electronics, energy and environmental protection, advanced manufacturing, transportation architecture, and cutting-edge interdisciplinary areas. To date, 347 outstanding young scientists have been recognized.

Professor Shujia ZHU joined SUSTech in March 2025. Over the past five years, she has published multiple papers in top-tier journals, including Cell, Nature, Neuron, and Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

She has also been invited to speak at prestigious conferences such as the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and the International Ion Channel Conference, as well as at world-leading institutions including the University of Cambridge, New York University, École Normale Supérieure (ENS) Paris, and the University of Tokyo. She currently serves as a program committee member for the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) in the United States (2024–2027).

Since the establishment of the Xplorer Prize, seven young scholars from SUSTech have received this honor, reflecting the University’s outstanding achievements in talent development.