Award showcases early-career researchers for their outstanding and innovative interdisciplinary work and exceptional promise as research leaders.
HOBOKEN, NJ-Wiley has named 12 early-career researchers in seven different countries as winners of the 2026 Advanced Science Young Innovator Award, one of the most competitive honors for young scientists in interdisciplinary science.
The winners-announced yesterday at Wiley's Advanced Summit in London-were selected from a highly competitive pool of 382 applicants across 52 countries. They represent the highest caliber of emerging scientists who are translating discoveries into real-world impact.
Advanced Science is a prestigious, open access, interdisciplinary journal publishing best-in-class fundamental and applied research in materials science, physics, chemistry, engineering, and medical and life sciences. It is part of the Advanced Portfolio, Wiley's premier collection of impactful, multidisciplinary journals-one of the world's top-tier research journal series-that disseminate the best science from well-established and emerging researchers.
The Young Innovator Award, now in its third year, is a coveted recognition among early-career researchers globally. It identifies scientists whose interdisciplinary approaches are bridging fields and accelerating the path from laboratory breakthrough to practical application in materials science and chemistry, physics and engineering, life and health sciences, earth and environmental sciences, and social sciences.
"These researchers show what the next generation of scientific leadership looks like: rigorous, ambitious, and focused on impact," said Kirsten Severing, editor-in-chief of Advanced Science. "The strength and international breadth of this year's applications made for an exceptionally competitive selection, making these winners reflective of the future of scientific leadership."
The winners were selected based on the originality of their research, demonstrated impact potential, and ability to work across traditional scientific boundaries. The rigorous selection process evaluated both the quality of their published work and the trajectory of their contributions to solving critical challenges in the selected disciplines.
The following individuals are this year's winners:
- Jie-Jie Chen, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, China
- Bowen Li, Health Sciences, University of Toronto, Canada
- Wu Li, Chemistry, Wuhan University, China
- Lu Lu, Computer Science, Yale University, USA
- Wei Lv, Materials, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, China
- Phillip Milner, Chemistry, Cornell University, USA
- Zachariah Allen Page, Materials, The University of Texas at Austin, USA
- Stanisa Raspopovic, Engineering, Medical University Vienna, Austria
- Francesca Santoro, Engineering, Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen, Germany
- Daisy Radha Singla, Health Sciences, University of Toronto, Canada
- Roser Vento-Tormo, Life Sciences, Wellcome Sanger Institute, United Kingdom
- Xiaoyu (Rayne) Zheng, Engineering, UC Berkeley, USA
Each winner receives a $1,000 research prize and amplification through Advanced Science's global platform-recognition that accelerates collaboration opportunities, funding, and real-world application of their work.
Learn more about the winners and their research at: Advanced Science Young Innovator Award
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