The 1^st Westlake Muyuan Scholar Awards Ceremony was held in Nanyang, Henan, on Dec. 18. Seven principal investigators specializing in agricultural innovation and application received the honors.

The Westlake Muyuan Education Foundation was jointly established by the Westlake Education Foundation and Westlake University–Muyuan Joint Research Institute and supported by Muyuan Foods’ full endowment. In 2022, Muyuan Foods set up the Muyuan Scholar Awards, sponsoring projects that aim at innovating agriculture. Muyuan Scholar Awards offers the special prize, first prize, second prize and third prize, celebrating outstanding scholars and leaders that actively participate in the quality development of agriculture.

Prof. Chunke Zhang, principal investigator at the School of Engineering, was awarded the first special prize of the Muyuan Scholar Awards. His team adopted synthetic biological methods for amino acid fermentation production and developed various amino acid production technologies for the breeding industry. The application had a profound impact on the overall technology upgrade of the aquaculture industry and even food security.

Principal investigators Prof. Liang Tao of the School of Life Sciences, and Prof. Lin Yang, Prof. Feng Ju, and Prof. Lei Wang of the School of Engineering were honored with the second prize. Their teams ran projects focused on vaccination development, wastewater management, carbon emissions, and smart detection.

Principal investigators Prof. Heping Xu of the School of Life Sciences and Prof. Donglin Wang of the School of Engineering received the third prize. Their teams have made achievements in disease control and smart management of the traditional animal breeding industry. The first prize was not awarded this year.

President Yigong Shi handed out the certificates to the winners of the Muyuan Scholar Awards. Vice President of the Westlake Board of Trustees and CEO of Muyuan Foods Yinglin Qin handed out the trophies.

Congratulating the winners, Shi said, “I hope to see the Muyuan Scholars taking on the mission and responsibilities entrusted by our time and continue to work at the frontline with a pragmatic attitude and an ever-growing curiosity.”

Qin said, “We are proud to join Westlake on the journey of translating research into application. As an entrepreneur, I know the weight innovation plays in the development of a company. Muyuan Foods is treading unchartered waters, and we are glad to have our Westlake family along our side. We look forward to seeing your research landing into projects, adding new vigor to the development of the breeding industry as well as our society.”

Speaking on behalf of the recipients, Prof. Kechun Zhang said, “I felt honored to be named a Muyuan Scholar – such a recognition from a globally leading company. One of my research interests is food security. My team and I have dug deep into amino fermentation production and have achieved the leading position in the industry. Our research results are being translated into application through the Westlake University–Muyuan Joint Research Institute.”

At the ceremony, Westlake University–Muyuan Joint Research Institute also handed out employment letters to their core principal investigators. Ying Qian, Westlake honorary trustee and trustee of Muyuan Foods, handed the employment letters to Prof. Lei Wang, Prof. Dongling Wang, Prof. Bobo Dang, Prof. Zhiqiang Ku, Prof. Dapeng Li, Prof. Peidong Liu, Prof. Feng Ju, and Prof. Yajie Wang.

President of Westlake University Yigong Shi, Vice President of the Westlake Board of Trustees and CEO of Muyuan Foods Yinglin Qin, and Ying Qian, Westlake honorary trustee and trustee of Muyuan Foods, participated in the ceremony. The ceremony was hosted by Secretary General of the Westlake Education Foundation and Director of the Westlake University–Muyuan Joint Research Institute Minhao Liu.