MIT Technology Review, in collaboration with DeepTech, hosted the Meet 35 Summit 2024 and the MIT Technology Review 35 Innovators Under 35 China Award Ceremony. Sun Pengzhan, assistant professor at the Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering (IAPME) at the University of Macau (UM), was named one of the 35 Innovators Under 35 for China (TR35 China), making him the only scholar from Macao on the list.
MIT Technology Review was founded in 1899. Since 1999, the magazine has annually selected a group of young leaders under the age of 35 who are the most innovative and influential in the field of technology, forming the ‘35 Innovators Under 35’ list. Over the past two decades, many of the winners have gone on to become industry leaders. They include Zhuang Xiaowei, a bio-imaging technology pioneer; Larry Page and Sergey Brin, founders of Google; JB Straubel, co-founder of Tesla; and Zhang Feng, inventor of CRISPR gene editing technology.
Prof Sun was selected for his dedication to the precise construction of atomic-scale confinement channels and the experimental elucidation of the mechanisms and novel phenomena of mass transport processes therein, as well as the application of the new membrane separation technology he has developed to solve common separation problems such as high energy consumption and low efficiency in the fields of energy and environment. His research primarily focuses on the development of novel two-dimensional separation membranes and the solution of fundamental scientific problems associated with two-dimensional separation membranes. Prof Sun’s research findings have been published in leading scientific journals such as Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Nature Communications, and Science Advances. He has also received many awards, including the Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Hong Kong and Macao) from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Materials Research Society (MRS) Graduate Student Award, Top Scholarship from Tsinghua University, First Prize in the China International Graphene Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, and Grand Prize in the Tsinghua-Dow Sustainable Development Innovation Challenge Competition.
Over the past decade, the global technology landscape has become increasingly diverse. With its unique cultural heritage, strong research strengths and talent pool, as well as vast market potential, China has also emerged as a major force in the global technology arena. In 2017, MIT Technology Review and DeepTech jointly launched the ‘35 Innovators Under 35’ for China to identify and recognise the innovative forces in China’s emerging technology fields.
