The 2017 CAS Award for International Scientific Cooperation went to three scientists based in Europe or the United States: experimental physicist David Neely from the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK; marine chemist Peter G. Brewer from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, US; and condensed matter physicist Yimei Zhu from the Brookhaven National Laboratory, US.
The announcement came on January 23, 2018, followed by CAS President BAI Chunli conferring the certificates and medals to the three laureates at an awarding ceremony in Beijing.
David Neely is the principal investigator and head of the experimental science division of the Central Laser Facility at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the United Kingdom. He is one of the world’s best known experimental physicists with many outstanding and original contributions to the field of intense laser-matter interaction. He has been working with the CAS Institute of Physics for alwost two decades, and helped the institute to achieve a series of major advances in fields such as hot electron transport, proton acceleration and terahertz generation. His team provided the Chinese side with advanced technologies and design drawings of some key facilities, including a broadband proton spectrometer, a portable soft X-ray spectrometer, a real-time ion detector and a dual plasma mirror. The collaboration has enhanced China’s ability to develop advanced experimental diagnostic equipment in high energy density physics and laser fusion. The two sides have also worked together on the design and development of the world's first saturated soft X-ray laser. Meanwhile, Neely has helped CAS to train talents and offered them opportunities to conduct research in world-class laboratories.
Peter G. Brewer is a distinguished marine chemist, former president of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and Einstein Visiting Professor of CAS. He is an advocate and pioneer of studies in oceanic carbon cycles and ocean acidification, and one of the proposers of CO2 deep-sea sequestration and discoverers of the deep-sea hydrothermal system. Brewer has worked closely with CAS for over 10 years. He has provided critical support to the customization, design, testing, and scientific application of the research vessel “Kexue” and the underwater vehicle “Faxian”. He has also participated in the Western Pacific Ocean System Project, and provided guidance and assistance to core tasks like exploratory research of deep-sea hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, and seamounts, as well as independent R&D of large facilities for deep-sea detection and sampling. He has helped train doctoral students for China, and created opportunities for young CAS scientists to join different US deep-sea detection cruises.
Yimei Zhu is a tenured scientist at the Brookhaven National Laboratory of the United States, and a world-renowned condensed matter physicist and top expert in electron microscopy. Zhu has long worked to promote bilateral science cooperation between China and the US. He has facilitated the establishment of intergovernmental bilateral cooperation mechanisms in the field of superconductivity and quantum materials, and opened up new grounds of cooperation between CAS and the US Department of Energy. With his coordination and assistance, CAS has successfully developed China’s first custom-made Lorentz electron microscopy. He also played an active part in the construction of China’s large-scale advanced electron microscopy platform. Thanks to his direct support, CAS successfully built the country’s first 200-kiloelectron-volt four-dimensional ultrafast electron microscopy. Zhu has played a key role in the cultivation of Chinese talents in electron microscopy, and facilitated CAS’ overseas talent recruitment.
At the ceremony, the CAS institutes which the awardees have worked with — the Institute of Physics, the Institute of Oceanology, and the Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering — were also recognized for their efforts in the cooperation.
The Award for International Scientific Cooperation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, first given out in 2007, honors top foreign talents who have been in long-term collaboration with and made outstanding contributions to the Academy.
At the awarding ceremony of the 2017 CAS Award for International Scientific Cooperation, from left to right: David Neely (UK), CAS President BAI Chunli, Yimei Zhu (US), Peter G. Brewer (US).