Chinese scientist Pan Jianwei wins UNESCO-Russia Mendeleev International Prize in the Basic Sciences

A digital avatar modeled after Dmitri Mendeleev interacts with audience members during the awarding ceremony for the UNESCO-Russia Mendeleev International Prize in the Basic Sciences in Paris, France, July 17, 2026. Chinese scientist Pan Jianwei on Friday became the first Chinese recipient of the UNESCO-Russia Mendeleev International Prize in the Basic Sciences for his pioneering contributions to large-scale secure quantum communications and scalable quantum computation. [Photo/Xinhua]