The 2026 World Laureates Forum will be held from Oct 30 to Nov 1 at the Lingang Center in Shanghai. A total of 33 recipients of major international scientific awards are confirmed to attend, including seven Nobel laureates and three Turing Award winners.

Under the theme "New Science Paradigm: Break Through for the Next Decade", the forum will also bring together 139 senior scientists and 81 young scientists.

Three WLF prizes will be presented at the opening ceremony and the main forum on the morning of Oct 31: the WLF Prize in Computer Science or Mathematics, the WLF Prize in Life Science or Medicine, and the newly introduced WLF Prize for Young Scientists.

Keynote speakers will include Omar M. Yaghi, a 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate; Hu Hailan, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Laurent Lafforgue, a 2002 Fields Medal recipient; and Zeng Yuqun, founder and chairman of CATL.

Six parallel forums will explore the following fields:

• Future semiconductors: AI applications in chip development
• Biomedicine: Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and depression
• Aerospace information: Space exploration and international cooperation
• Artificial intelligence: AI chips, humanoid robots, and AI governance
• Future energy: Energy storage and energy use in computing centers
• Quantum science: Practical applications of quantum computing

The forum will also feature four themed events covering exchanges among young scientists, women's leadership in science, science education for children and teenagers, and research commercialization.

Participants will have opportunities to visit research facilities and technology companies in Shanghai. The World Laureates HUB will be open to young researchers free of charge and feature a poster exhibition showcasing their research.

Source: Shanghai Observer