Dr. Ray Wu, a renowned Chinese-American molecular biologist and professor at Cornell University, initiated an exchange program, the CUSBEA (China-United States Biology and Biochemistry Examinations and Applications) Program in the 1980s, which brought over 400 students from China to pursue Ph.D. degrees in the US, thus leading the way for Chinese students to study life sciences abroad and return to work in China. A significant number of them have become leaders in different fields of life science today.

In 2008, the Ray Wu Memorial Fund was established by CUSBEA students and friends of Ray Wu to honour his legacy of supporting young scientists. The Ray Wu Prize awards graduate students for excellence in life science research for innovation, independent thinking, and dedication. A candidate must be a graduate student who is pursuing a degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in an institution located in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, or Singapore.

On the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Ray Wu Prize, Westlake University School of Life Sciences in collaboration with RWMF is pleased to organize 'The 12th Ray Wu Symposium & Ray Wu Prize Award Ceremony (2023)'. We expect many famous life science researchers from home and abroad to gather at Westlake University to carry forward the Ray Wu spirit, stay true to its founding mission, and work hard to achieve even more on the new journey ahead.