Dr. Zhuoran Qiao, a Founding Scientist of San Francisco-based startup Chai Discovery, received the Grand Prize for his work using AI in the field of molecular biology. Also honored as Finalists were Dr. Aditya Nair, a Postdoctoral Fellow and NIH NeuroAI Early Career Scholar at Caltech and Stanford University, whose work merges AI and neuroscience; and Dr. Alizée Roobaert, a researcher at Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (Flanders Marine Institute) in Ostend, Belgium, who developed an innovative AI solution to monitor oceanic climate dynamics. de Zee (Flanders Marine Institute) in Ostend, Belgium, who developed an innovative AI solution to monitor oceanic climate dynamics.
"We were excited to receive such an impressive range of applications from around the world, spanning many different scientific disciplines," said Chrissy Luo, Chen Institute cofounder. "At a time when AI is radically accelerating global scientific discovery, we're delighted to work with AAAS and showcase three incredible young researchers who are using these powerful new technologies to expand the frontiers of human knowledge."
"Science, as always, was excited to see the variety of high-quality, imaginative entries for the 2024 AI Prize," said Yury V. Suleymanov, senior editor at Science. "This trio of early-career scientists demonstrated that they are at the cutting edge of their craft with innovative AI solutions to address substantial challenges and opportunities faced by scientists in a number of areas."
Each applicant submitted a 1000-word essay describing their work, which were judged by an independent committee of Science editors. The winning entries were:
- Grand Prize: Putting proteins under a computational microscope
Building on Nobel-winning research that uses generative AI technologies to predict how proteins fold, Dr. Qiao uses sophisticated machine learning techniques to create dynamic models, showing how folded proteins change over time—and, importantly, how they interact with smaller molecules. The result: a "computational microscope" that can predict with remarkable speed and accuracy how proteins will behave, enabling powerful new tools for drug discovery. "We're unlocking a huge opportunity to map out these molecular interactions at an unprecedented scale—and to leverage that to rapidly develop new drugs and treatments," Dr. Qiao says.
- Finalist: Listening in on the brain's hidden chorus
Breakthroughs in neural imaging now allow researchers to monitor the activity of individual neurons—but Dr. Nair is using AI to reveal the hidden choruses and harmonies that emerge as neurons interact with one another. His work shows that these interactions form durable, self-perpetuating patterns that can encode and modulate long-lasting mental or emotional states—such as arousal, anger and anger—independently of any individual neuron's activity. His models also revealed that these long-lasting network effects are mediated by slow-acting neuropeptides, making them more robust over time.
- Finalist: Understanding how coastal waters absorb CO2
The world's oceans absorb about one-quarter of all human-made carbon dioxide emissions, but little is known about the role of coastal oceans in powering the global oceanic carbon sink. Dr. Roobaert used neural networks to fuse global satellite data and 18 million datapoints from coastal CO2 measurements, creating the first high-resolution model of CO2 absorption in coastal waters. By joining the dots between patchy datasets, her methodology offers a truly global overview of both the health and the climatological role of the world's oceans.
Dr. Qiao, the Grand Prize winner, receives a cash award of $30,000 and his essay appears in today's issue of Science (in print and online). Dr. Nair and Dr. Roobaert, the two Finalists, each receive a cash award of $10,000, and will have their essays published in Science online. All three also receive a five-year subscription to Science online and become honorary Chen Scholars.
Presenting Their Work Alongside Powerhouse Researchers
Dr. Qiao, Dr. Nair, and Dr. Roobaert will present their research at the first annual Chen Institute Symposium for AI Accelerated Science, held in San Francisco on October 27-28, 2025. They will be joined by Nobel Laureates Dr. Jennifer Doudna and Dr. David Baker, plus an impressive line-up of other leading global academics, industry leaders, and researchers. The Symposium is open to the public, and registration is required.
For more information, please visit https://aias2025.org/.
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About the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute
The Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute, established in 2016 by philanthropists Tianqiao Chen and Chrissy Luo, seeks to improve the human experience by understanding how our brains perceive, learn, and interact with the world. Based in the Bay Area, the Chen Institute advances scientific research, particularly in neuroscience, aging, and artificial intelligence by working with top academic and research institutions globally. It also supports initiatives in AI development, emphasizing its potential to enhance human well-being.
About AAAS
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is one of the world's largest general scientific societies and publisher of the journal Science, as well as Science Translational Medicine; Science Signaling; a digital, open-access journal, Science Advances; Science Immunology; and Science Robotics. AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes more than 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. The nonprofit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement, and more. For additional information about AAAS, visit www.aaas.org.
SOURCE Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Institute
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