Prof. Angela WU, Associate Professor in the Division of Life Science and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has been named a 2025 Schmidt Polymath, a prestigious recognition celebrating transformative research across disciplines.
This year, eight outstanding scientists and engineers from universities worldwide have been honored as Schmidt Polymaths. Organized by Schmidt Sciences, a philanthropic organization founded in 2024, the program aims to accelerate scientific knowledge and breakthroughs by supporting researchers with advanced tools and resources. Each awardee will receive up to USD $2.5 million over five years to pursue bold, high-impact research projects that push conventional boundaries.
Prof. Wu earned this recognition through a rigorous global selection process. As a bioengineer, she is recognized for her pioneering work at the intersection of biology and engineering. With the support of the Schmidt Polymaths program, Prof. Wu will continue her innovative research to further develop fully human, functional in-vitro brain organoids, with the ultimate goal of enabling therapeutic transplantation.
Since joining HKUST in 2015, Prof. Wu has made significant contributions in the fields of single-cell genomics, computational biology, and microfluidics. Her groundbreaking achievements have earned her numerous accolades, including being named to the MIT Technology Review's "Innovators Under 35 Asia Pacific" list in 2017, selected as a World Economic Forum Young Scientist in 2018, and receiving the Excellent Young Scientists Fund from the National Natural Science Foundation of China in 2024.
