This release is available in German.
September 5, 2012, Shenzhen, China – Professor Huanming Yang, Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chairman of BGI, was recently elected as a member of the German National Academy of Sciences, due to his outstanding contributions to the field of Human Genomics and Genetics.
Established in 1652 and also known as the Leopoldina zu Halle, it is one of the world's oldest academies of sciences and the oldest continuously existing academy. The Leopoldina is registered as a non-profit organization, with a membership consisting of over 1,400 scientists in around 30 countries. Its members have included Johann Wolfgang v. Goethe, Charles Darwin, and approximately 168 Nobel Laureates, among them Marie Curie, Ernest Rutherford, Max Planck, and Albert Einstein.
Professor Huanming Yang is a globally recognized leader in genetic and genomic research. His work includes the sequencing and analysis of the human genome, human genome diversity and evolution, and the ethical, legal, and social issues related to genome research. Professor Yang and his team at BGI have made significant contributions to the International Human Genome Project, International Human HapMap Project, Sino-British Chicken Genome Project, rice genome, silkworm genome, the first Asian diploid genome, the potato genome, and, most recently, 1000 genomes and human Gut metagenome.
In 2011 Professor Huanming Yang was named to the International Research Panel, a subcommittee of the US Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues and received the Chen Award for Distinguished Academic Achievement in Human Genetic and Genomic Research by HUGO ( Human Genome Organisation). Previous awards and honors include Research Leader of the Year by Scientific American in 2002 and Award in Biology by the Third World Academy of Sciences in 2006.
It is reported that six Chinese scholars have been elected to the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina since 1988. For more information, please visit: http://www.leopoldina.org/en/members/list-of-members/
- Professor Wu Zhongbim, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, was elected in 1988.
- Lu Yongxiang, Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Engineering, Vice Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, was elected in 2005.
- Lu Ke, Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, was elected in 2005
- Zhang Jie, Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, was elected in 2007.
- Jiayang Li, Vice Minister of Agriculture of China and President of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, was elected in 2012.
- Huanming Yang, Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chairman of BGI, was elected in 2012.