The British Council announced the recipients of the Study UK Alumni Awards 2023-24 in CHINA at a ceremony in Beijing on 9 December. In total, 12 UK alumni in China were recognised for their outstanding achievements as business professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders, and for their contribution to strengthening ties between the UK and China.
The prestigious international award celebrates the outstanding achievements of UK alumni around the world. Now in its tenth year, the award received more than 1,450 applications from international UK alumni in more than 90 countries, representing more than 140 UK higher education institutions across the UK.
The Science and Sustainability Award, which recognises alumni who have distinguished themselves through their career and achievements in the world of science and sustainability, was presented to Bing Hou, graduate of University of Leeds. Dr. Bing Hou, Executive Director of Drug Discovery at Antengene, is in charge of the discovery and translational study of innovative anti-cancer drugs. He has published research articles in top journals, such as Nature, Science Advances and Circulation Research. His co-first-authored Nature article published in 2014 was cited by both the Nobel Prize recipient and the official website of the Nobel Prize. Approximately thirty patent applications have been submitted by him in response to unmet medical needs for novel anti-cancer drugs. As inventor and project leader, he has advanced multiple drugs into clinical trials which benefit patients globally.
The Culture and Creativity Award, which recognises alumni who have carved a career for themselves in arts and culture, individuals who demonstrated their artistic ingenuity, influence and creativity, was presented to Qinqin Huang, graduate of University of Nottingham and London School of Economics and Political Science, The (LSE). Huang Qinqin is the founder, CEO and Creative Director of ouvrir la boite. She is an artistic shoe designer who proposed and actively explores the design concept of "the art of practical wear". Her works have appeared in international fashion shows and fashion magazines for many times. Huang Qinqin specialises in collecting insights on consumer psychology and then develops her unique design philosophy. She is passionate about the combination between creativity and techniques. She will continue to explore the field of art and design and apply the skills she has learnt in the UK to her future career development.
The Social Action Award, which recognizes alumni who have made an exceptional contribution and commitment to creating positive social change and improving the lives of others, was presented to Shenshou Zhang, graduate of University of Birmingham. Founder and President of the SHANGHAI YZL FOUNDATIO. Shenshou Zhang has been worked for several Fortune Global 500 companies, then he decided to teach in rural primary schools as a volunteer in a national level poverty-stricken county. He initiated the "Lead the Future-Altruism," "Lead the Future-Career," and "Lead the Future-Children’ s Educations" charity projects, aiding over ten thousand underprivileged youth. These projects received national and Shanghai municipal philanthropy awards. Shenshou Zhang established the SHANGHAI YZL FOUNDATION. They launched the programmes and aimed at becoming the leader in promoting sustainable social mobility.
The Business and Innovation Award, which recognises alumni who are active in initiating and contributing to innovative or creative new ideas, solutions or business opportunities, that have the potential for growth, was presented to Yingjun Liu, University of Cambridge. Dr. Yingjun Liu is the co-founder and CTO of Porotech, a global display technology company. Dr. Yingjun Liu’s ground-breaking inventions leads to the birth of Porous Electronics in the field of Compound Semiconductors, which is deployed by Porotech to commercialise the ultimate display – full-colour microLED display system. Dr. Yingjun Liu is leading the deployment of scalable manufacturing solutions and innovative ecosystem to address challenges from display to computing, aiming to bring AI-driven mixed reality into people’s hands.
China is the first country to host the awards this year and will be followed by awarding ceremonies in a further 22 countries.