HONG KONG – The Hong Kong-based Shaw Prize Foundation announced on Tuesday that the Shaw Prize of 2021 went to five scientists, who have made outstanding achievements in the three categories of astronomy, life science and medicine, and mathematical sciences.
The Shaw Prize is an international award to honor individuals who have achieved significant breakthroughs in academic and scientific research or applications, and whose work has resulted in a positive and profound impact on mankind. Each prize bears a monetary award of US$1.2 million.
Each prize bears a monetary award of US$1.2 million
ALSO READ: 6 scientists awarded Shaw Prize
The Shaw Prize in Astronomy was split between Victoria M Kaspi, professor of Physics and director of McGill Space Institute, McGill University, Canada, and Chryssa Kouveliotou, professor and chair of the Department of Physics at George Washington University, the United States. They were commended for their contributions to our understanding of magnetars, a class of highly magnetized neutron stars that are linked to a wide range of spectacular, transient astrophysical phenomena.
READ MORE: HK to hold first science laureate forum in 2021
The Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine went to Scott D Emr, director of the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, the United States. He was commended for his landmark discovery of the Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport pathway, which is essential in diverse processes involving membrane biology, including cell division and cell-surface receptor regulation, viral dissemination and nerve axon pruning. These processes are central to life, health and disease.
The Shaw Prize in Mathematical Sciences was in equal shares to Jean-Michel Bismut, emeritus professor of the Mathematics Department, Université Paris Sud, Orsay, France, and Jeff Cheeger, professor of Mathematics at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, the United States. They were commended for their remarkable insights that have transformed, and continue to transform, modern geometry.