AI Augmented Biology                                   
                                                                        

Nanjing University

Nanjing University (NJU), established in 1902 in the historic city of Nanjing, has been a cornerstone of higher education in China for over 120 years. As one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious universities, NJU consistently ranks among the top institutions in China and is recognized globally for its excellence in cutting-edge research and interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at addressing global challenges.  

Nanjing University is particularly renowned for its fundamental research in fields such as astronomy, geology, atmospheric sciences, physics, chemistry, and computer science. In recent years, NJU has launched a university-wide initiative, "AI for Science," with a strong emphasis on "AI Biology," leveraging the university’s expertise in both artificial intelligence and biomedical research.  

The School of Life Sciences at NJU, encompassing nearly every discipline in biology, has become a leading hub for AI Biology in China. The school is dedicated to developing innovative technologies and approaches to tackle fundamental questions in biology, pushing the boundaries of research at the intersection of AI and life sciences. 

School of Life Science, Nanjing University

The School of Life Sciences (SLiS) was established in 1990. However, it was one of the oldest life science research and teaching institutions in China because it was evolved from the agriculture science (founded in 1914) in Jinling University and the biology department (founded in 1920) of Nanjing Advanced Normal College. 

Institute of Artificial Intelligence Biomedicine, Nanjing University

Biophysical Society of China

The Biophysical Society of China (BSC), as a constituent society of the China Association for Science and Technology, is an academic social group organized by Chinese biophysicists of their own will. It aims to advance the development of the biophysics discipline by organizing academic exchange activities, popular science education and publications, as well as to contribute to China's economic growth and to improve science literacy among the general public.

The BSC was founded in November 1979 with approval of the Presidium of China Association for Science and Technology, with the well-known biologist Shizhang Bei serving as its first president and the honorary president for the second-eigth council. The current president is Xu Tao, academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, or CAS, while Liang Dongcai and Rao Zihe, both academicians at the CAS, are honorary presidents. The BSC currently has more than 20,000 members, holding a national biophysical academic conference annually and a general meeting of the council every four years.

The BSC has two academic committees, 38 academic subgroups and 12 working committees. Refer to the branches of the BSC. http://en.bsc.org.cn/2024-11/05/c_109068.htm

It sponsors three academic journals -- Biophysics Reports (current editor: Xu Tao) co-sponsored by the Institute of Biophysics of the CAS, Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics (current editor: He Rongqiao), and the English-language journal Protein & Cell (Editor: Rao Zihe) co-sponsored by the Higher Education Press.

In 2009, the BSC established the Shizhang Bei Award, the highest biophysics honor in China, to honor scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the biophysics sector, as well as an award for excellent young biophysicists. The awards are given every two years.

In July 1984, the BSC officially joined the International Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics, also known as IUPAB and successfully hosted the 17th International Biophysical Congress in Beijing in 2011, with around 2,000 people attending. Being chairman of the congress, BSC president Rao Zihe was elected chairman of the IUPAB (2014-2017). In 2015, the BSC hosted the 9th Asian Biophysics Association (ABA) Symposium in Hangzhou, when BSC vice president Yan Xiyun was elected ABA president. In October 2015, with the advocacy and support of the China Association for Science and Technology, the BSC and 17 other societies in the life sciences field jointly established the China Union of Life Science Societies, with BSC president Rao Zihe serving as the first rotating chairman.

Nature