On February 20, 2025, local time, Professor Anming Meng was formally elected into the Pontifical Academy of Sciences as an Ordinary Academician in recognition of his outstanding contributions to developmental biology.
Dr. Anming Meng, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor at the School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, mainly focuses on mechanisms controlling early embryonic development of vertebrates. Over the past few decades, his laboratory had revealed functions of multiple important regulators and signaling pathways for mesoendoderm induction and dorsal-ventral patterning as well as left-right asymmetry development of zebrafish embryos. His research has significantly advanced the understanding of key scientific issues in developmental biology.
Founded in Rome on 17 August 1603, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences is one of the oldest international scientific organizations in the world, dedicated to promoting interdisciplinary scientific research, disseminating scientific knowledge, and providing authoritative advice for global scientific and technological development. The title of Academician is awarded to scholars who have made outstanding achievements in scientific research worldwide, regardless of religious beliefs. New Ordinary Academicians are recommended and elected by anonymous vote among the ordinary academicians. In 2025, five new Ordinary Academicians were added, including Professor Anming Meng from the School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, bringing the total number of Ordinary Academicians to 88. It is worth mentioning that another Ordinary Academician of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences from our country is also an alumnus of Tsinghua University - Professor Yang Zhenning.
