Results Announced for 2025 “Top 10 Chinese American Outstanding Youth” Awards

LAPost / Los Angeles, May 4, 2025 — As Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off, the 18th Annual “Top 10 Chinese American Youth” awards—jointly organized by the All-America Chinese Youth Federation and the English-language Los Angeles Post—were officially announced on May 4 in Los Angeles.

With the theme “Breakthrough,” this year’s awards aim to spotlight the real-life stories of Chinese American youth and international students who are pushing boundaries in their fields. By sharing their ambitions and progress, the awards seek to inspire more young people to excel in science, culture, social impact, and beyond.

The judging panel unanimously recognized this year’s honorees for their outstanding achievements, character, and sense of social responsibility, calling them exemplary representatives of the millions of Chinese American youth and international students across the country. Their journeys not only command respect but also serve as a powerful source of motivation for the next generation.

As the first cross-regional award for outstanding Chinese American youth in U.S. history, the “Top 10 Chinese American Youth” awards have been a highly anticipated event each May during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month since their founding in 2007. Known for their open nomination process, rigorous standards, and fair evaluation, the awards are widely considered one of the most credible and influential honors for Chinese American youth.

This year’s selection process followed established protocols: a public call for nominations, followed by preliminary screening of nearly 100 qualified candidates. Twenty-seven finalists were interviewed, and final winners were chosen based on academic, professional, and social impact.

2025 “Top 10 Chinese American Youth” Honorees:

Alex Chen (Chen Wei), Ph.D., Stanford University; Founder & CEO of Nexa AI, a pioneering firm in on-device AI solutions. Led a multimillion-dollar seed round and partnerships with AMD, HP, and Lenovo. Former president of the Stanford Chinese Entrepreneurs Association. His research has been featured in leading journals and industry platforms.

Li Changhao, Ph.D. in Quantum Information Science, MIT. Senior scientist at JPMorgan and Unitary Fund. Published 37 papers (12 as lead author in Science, PRL, Nano Letters), with 6 patents. His quantum biosensor research was widely covered by major outlets and MIT’s homepage. Recipient of the Helen Carr and William T. Peake Research Prize.

Cheng Qilong, B.S., Tsinghua; Ph.D., UC Berkeley; now a postdoc at Purdue. Specializes in energy efficiency and heat transfer in micro/nano electronics, architecture, and biology. Published 29 papers (14 first-author). His radiative cooling research was featured in Nature News, Science News, The Guardian, and others.

Zhang Wenxiang, Former Lecturer and Postdoc at Harvard Medical School. Focused on transcriptional regulation in the immune system. Published in Nature and Immunity, with cover features and media attention. Now a Principal Investigator at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Recipient of numerous awards including the Jeffrey Modell Award and Xiaomi Young Scholar.

Zheng Yi, Ph.D., Columbia; Professor at Northeastern University. Director of the Nano Energy Lab, NASA faculty fellow, and founder of Plank Energy. Over 100 publications, 9 patents, $5M+ in grants. Actively promotes community service and Chinese American engagement in Boston. Recipient of the NSF CAREER Award and Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40.

Zhao Junyi, Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis; Postdoc at Stanford. Former research scientist at Facebook. Expert in optoelectronics and wearable systems. First-author papers in Nature Photonics, Advanced Materials, and UIST. Developed stretchable LEDs and smart textiles now used clinically. Winner of MRS Gold Award and CAS Future Leaders.

Shao Fangchi, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins in Biomedical Engineering. Published 12 first/co-first papers, holds one patent, delivered 19 international talks. Specializes in micro/nano diagnostics and drug screening. 2025 Siebel Scholar. Actively mentors young researchers and fosters community development.

Jiani Huo, Founder and managing attorney at The HUO Law Firm. Licensed in New York federal and state courts. A legal advocate for global creatives, she has helped hundreds of artists and innovators secure visas and residency. Longtime legal counsel to galleries and cultural institutions, bridging the worlds of law and art.

Sun Mouhui, B.A., Fudan; M.F.A., School of Visual Arts (NY). Founder of Asian Artists and Activists Hub (AAAAH). Built a network of 1,000+ artists and 30+ organizations. Curated public art projects reaching 100,000+ people. Her “Layers of Legacy” project helped redefine collaboration between artists and community organizers.

Wu Shuaiyu, M.S., MIT Sloan; MBA, Tsinghua. Co-founder & CEO of CB International Bank (CBiBank), transforming fintech for SMEs and individuals. Champions scalable, low-cost digital banking for underserved users. Aims to set new benchmarks in financial accessibility and innovation.

---

From AI and clean energy to medicine, art law, cultural empowerment, and fintech, the 2025 honorees embody the spirit of breakthrough, cross-disciplinary innovation, and social impact. They represent the expansive vision and capabilities of today’s Chinese American youth, portraying a community that is diverse, driven, and engaged in shaping the future.

The judging and nomination committees for the 2025 “Top 10 Chinese American Youth” and “Chinese American Youth Elite List” included renowned artist Wu Huan; economist and Hongtai Fund co-founder Sheng Xitai; Prof. Huang Nansong (Guangzhou Institute of Technology); Prof. Liu Xiaoyan (ULV); Prof. Xu Lei (CSU Fullerton); Prof. Zheng Yue (CSUN); Jon D. Mills (Harvard Asia Center); Los Angeles Post executive director Richard Ren; Fusion Fund founder Zhang Lu; activist Yu Guoliang; scientist Hu Manchen; unicorn founder Wang Yi; director Shi Tanxuan; artists Wu Jiannan and Ji Lin; musician Fang Zihao; AI expert Hu Yinmeng; and youth leaders Jiang Yakun, Zhao Haozhe, and Cen Rongkang.

(By Richard Ren / LAPost)