Peking University, October 27, 2025: The American Physical Society (APS) has named four "PKUers" among its 2025 Fellows, a cohort of 149 distinguished scientists announced in October. The honorees include three alumni—Li Anping, Mao Xiaoming, and Xiong Wei—who are working in the US, and Peking University Professor Wang Jian, a trailblazer in quantum materials.

The APS Fellowship is among the highest honors a physicist can receive. Four PKU scholars’ election in a single year is both a reflection of individual excellence and a testament to the growth of university’s research capabilities.

Pushing Boundaries at the Atomic Scale

Li Anping earned his Ph.D. at Peking University’s School of Physics, before becoming a postdoctoral fellow at Germany’s Max Planck Institute. He had then successively worked at the U.S.’s Michigan State University and Canada’s Galian Photonics. He is now the Leader of the Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Group and the Heterogeneities in Quantum Materials Theme at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

Through his advances in multiprobe and spin-sensitive scanning tunneling microscopy, Li enables scientists to probe and manipulate matter at the atomic level, enabling unprecedented understanding and control over defects, interfaces, and nanoscale synthesis.

Building New Worlds from Soft Matter

Mao Xiaoming, an undergraduate alumna of Peking University’s School of Physics, has attained a leading role in the field of soft matter physics. Now a professor at the University of Michigan, Mao investigates how microscopic structures give rise to macroscopic properties in complex materials.

Her research into topological mechanical metamaterials has expanded the horizons of materials science, revealing how disorder, fluctuations, and self-assembly shape the stability and function of matter. 

Shaping the Future of Light and Matter

An undergraduate alumnus of Peking University’s College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Xiong Wei explores the ultrafast dance of electrons and molecules under strong light–matter coupling. His research is also pioneering in hyperspectral imaging and sum-frequency generation techniques that reveal the hidden dynamics of materials and biological systems.

Xiong’s work has opened new pathways in polariton chemistry and earned him numerous accolades including the Coblentz Award and a Sloan Research Fellowship, positioning him at the cutting edge of photonic science.

Leading Quantum Discovery at Home

A Boya Distinguished Professor at Peking University’s International Center for Quantum Materials, Wang Jian has pioneered the study in quantum transport in low-dimensional superconductors and topological materials. With nearly 150 papers in internationally leading journals, he has illuminated phenomena ranging from quantum Griffiths singularity to bosonic metallic ground states. His contributions have shaped China’s global role in quantum research and earned him major honors including the Sir Martin Wood Science Prize for China.

Written by: Xu Ziyue
Edited by: Sean Tan, Chen Shizhuo
Source: Beidaren WeChat (Chinese)