World's top scientists to convene in Shanghai

Thirty-three Nobel Prize, Turing Award, Wolf Prize, and Fields Medal laureates will gather in Shanghai next week for the 2026 World Laureates Forum, organizers announced at a news conference on Thursday.

Scheduled for Oct 30 to Nov 1 in the Lingang area, the forum will bring together top-tier scientists, academicians, emerging researchers, and industry leaders to explore how paradigm shifts will shape scientific breakthroughs over the next decade.

"This year's forum will focus on global scientific and technological frontiers, bringing together leading minds to address the major challenges facing humanity," Wu Xiaohua, chairman of the World Laureates Foundation, said.

Wu noted that the event will bring together global prize winners, academicians, young researchers and innovation leaders from around the world to examine critical issues, including future research paradigms, technology value chains, international cooperation, talent cultivation, and technology governance.

The opening ceremony will feature the presentation of two major World Laureates Foundation prizes in computer science or mathematics and life science or medicine. Organizers will also unveil a newly established WLF prize for young scientists, marking its debut recognition of early-career researchers.

The three-day program will feature six specialized parallel forums addressing critical frontiers: semiconductors, biomedicine, aerospace information, artificial intelligence, future energy, and quantum science.

The biomedicine forum will focus on debilitating brain conditions, with sessions dedicated to Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, depression, and translational medicine.

On AI, discussions will track developments in trustworthy AI, high-performance computing, AI chips, and humanoid robotics, while addressing governance challenges to foster an equitable global oversight framework.

The quantum science forum will facilitate cross-sector dialogue among Nobel laureates, academicians, and tech founders to map out key challenges, implementation pathways, and market trends aimed at transitioning quantum technologies from laboratory research to industrial application.

Additional sessions will explore AI-enabled semiconductor innovation, aerospace advances for public benefit, and novel approaches to energy storage and power-intensive computing centers.