ICBS 2025: Six scientists honored with Basic Science Lifetime Awards

The 2025 International Congress of Basic Science (ICBS 2025) announced its esteemed Basic Science Lifetime Award (BSLA) recipients at a press conference held at Tsinghua University on Friday.

Six globally acclaimed scientists, including Nobel laureates Samuel Chao Chung Ting, David Jonathan Gross, Steven Chu, Turing Award winner Robert Endre Tarjan, Fields medalist mathematician Shigefumi Mori, and Wolf Prize winner George Lusztig were recognized for their groundbreaking contributions to mathematics, physics, information science and engineering.

The 2025 BSLA in Mathematics is awarded to:

Prof. Shigefumi Mori from Kyoto University

"For his fundamental contributions to algebraic geometry, the Minimal Model Program, and profound influence in the classification of higher-dimensional algebraic varieties."

Prof. George Lusztig from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

"For his unparalleled contributions to representation theory, and the profound influence of the theory of Deligne–Lusztig varieties, and Kazhdan–Lusztig theory."

The 2025 BSLA in Physics is awarded to:

Prof. David Jonathan Gross from University of California, Santa Barbara

"For the discovery of asymptotic freedom and other pioneering contributions to elementary particle physics and string theory."

Prof. Samuel Chao Chung Ting from MIT

"For his transformative discovery of the J/ψ meson, groundbreaking contributions to space-based research, and visionary leadership in global collaborations in experimental physics."

The 2025 BSLA in Information Science and Engineering is awarded to:

Prof. Steven Chu from Stanford University

"For his transformative contributions to atomic physics, biophysics, precision measurements, and energy innovations."

Prof. Robert Endre Tarjan from Princeton University

"For his pioneering contributions to computer science, invention of novel efficient graph algorithms and data structures, and their profound influence in data science."

Established in 2023, the BSLA honors extraordinary scientists whose work in basic science have been both outstanding and innovative and have, over the course of the past 30 years or more, brought about fundamental change in his or her discipline. This year's recipients have each achieved landmark breakthroughs that continue to inspire future generations of researchers.

The 2025 International Congress of Basic Science is scheduled for July, aiming to further strengthen international collaboration and advance foundational scientific research following the success of previous events.

The 2024 congress brought together nearly 1,000 top scientists from over 40 countries and regions, featuring more than 500 cutting-edge academic presentations. The event attracted over 5 million participants online and offline, fostering a vibrant platform for global scientific exchange.