Three Chinese Scholars Receive Premier International Awards
Weijie Su of the University of Pennsylvania, Zhang Renhe of Fudan University, and Miao Shiguang of the China Meteorological Administration have won three of the most distinguished international honors in statistics, ocean-atmosphere science, and urban meteorology.
Three Chinese scholars have secured three of the most distinguished honors in their respective fields. Weijie Su, Professor of Statistics and Data Science at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, received the 2026 COPSS Presidents' Award at the Joint Statistical Meetings in Boston on August 5, 2026. Zhang Renhe, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chief Professor at Fudan University, was named the 2027 recipient of the Sverdrup Gold Medal by the American Meteorological Society. Miao Shiguang, Director of the Institute of Urban Meteorology of the China Meteorological Administration, received the 2027 Helmut E. Landsberg Award from the same society.
The COPSS Presidents' Award and the Sverdrup Gold Medal rank among the Top Awards in ShanghaiRanking's Academic Excellence Survey (AES), a global poll of leading academics that ranks the most influential honors in each discipline.
COPSS Presidents' Award: University of Pennsylvania
Weijie Su, Professor of Statistics and Data Science at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, received the 2026 COPSS Presidents' Award at the Joint Statistical Meetings in Boston on August 5, 2026. Established in 1976 and presented annually to a single statistician aged 40 or under, the award is widely regarded as the highest honor in statistics and is sponsored by the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS) together with five leading North American statistical societies. In ShanghaiRanking's Academic Excellence Survey, it stands as the Top Award in Statistics, drawing 61% of the votes cast - the highest share of any recognized honor in the field.
Su was recognized for foundational contributions across generative AI, privacy-preserving data analysis, machine learning peer review, convex optimization, deep learning theory and high-dimensional inference. Born in China, he earned his bachelor's degree from Peking University in 2011 and his PhD from Stanford University in 2016. He is the first Chinese scholar to receive the COPSS Presidents' Award in 14 years, following Xingzhong Kou's win in 2012.
Su's achievement also spotlights Peking University's Class of 2007 in the School of Mathematical Sciences. Two of his classmates in that cohort - Wang Hong and Deng Yu - were awarded the 2026 Fields Medal, mathematics' highest honor, at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia on July 23, 2026. A single class from Peking University has received the COPSS Presidents' Award and two Fields Medals this year. It’s a powerful sign of the rising international stature of Chinese-born mathematicians and statisticians.
Sverdrup Medal: Fudan University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhang Renhe, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chief Professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at Fudan University, was named the 2027 recipient of the Sverdrup Medal by the American Meteorological Society. Established in 1964, the medal is awarded annually to one scientist for outstanding contributions to understanding the interactions among oceans, atmosphere, cryosphere and biogeochemical processes. Zhang is the first Chinese mainland meteorologist to receive it. The honor also appears as a Top Award in Oceanography in ShanghaiRanking's Academic Excellence Survey - listed there as the Sverdrup Medal - where it drew 35% of the votes cast.
The American Meteorological Society cited Zhang's fundamental contributions to understanding Asian monsoon variability, Northwest Pacific ocean-atmosphere interaction and coupled modes such as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation. He also serves as a project chief scientist at the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences and currently co-leads an international monsoon research program proposed by China.
Helmut E. Landsberg Award: China Meteorological Administration
Miao Shiguang, Director of the Institute of Urban Meteorology of the China Meteorological Administration, was named the 2027 recipient of the Helmut E. Landsberg Award by the American Meteorological Society. Established in 2007, the award is among the leading international recognitions in urban meteorology, climatology and numerical weather prediction. Miao is the first Chinese scholar to receive it.
The American Meteorological Society recognized Miao for pioneering contributions to urban meteorology, climate science and numerical modeling. He has systematically revealed the mechanisms by which urbanization affects meteorological conditions and developed multi-scale numerical simulation methods for urban weather that are widely adopted in China and abroad. He led the World Meteorological Organization's SURF scientific experiment on urban impacts on precipitation and haze, and organized the development of the RMAPS urban nowcasting system used in disaster prevention, mitigation and major-event weather support. He chairs the Urban Meteorology Committee of the Chinese Meteorological Society and serves on the scientific steering committee of the World Weather Research Programme. The Landsberg Award will be presented alongside the Sverdrup Gold Medal at the 107th AMS Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, January 10-14, 2027.