The NAAI Asian Artificial Intelligence Conference Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest honor paying tribute to pioneers in the AI field, recognizing leaders who have made extraordinary and far-reaching contributions to the industry's development. Today, the winners of this year's award are officially announced – Member Weimin Zheng, Member Mohamed Jamal Deen, and Member Yixin Zhong. These three academic giants have truly deserved this prestigious honor through their lifelong dedication and outstanding achievements!
Member Weimin Zheng is a Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, and an authoritative expert in computer system architecture and high-performance computing. In 2007, he published the first paper by scholars from mainland China independently in the top international high-performance computing conference FAST. He has won the ACM Gordon Bell Prize – known as the "Nobel Prize of Supercomputing" – twice (in 2016 and 2017), along with the First-Class and Second-Class National Science and Technology Progress Awards and the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Science and Technology Progress Award. In 2021, he was appointed as one of the first experts of the Intellectual Property Court of Beijing.
As a senior scholar and promoter in the AI field, Member Weimin Zheng has always focused on the research and industrial application of core AI technologies, achieving remarkable results in technological breakthroughs, theoretical innovation, and talent cultivation. His research achievements have not only driven the leapfrog development of domestic AI technology but also showcased Chinese wisdom on the international stage, laying a solid foundation for the industry's progress.
M. Jamal Deen is a globally renowned expert in nano-/opto-electronics, nanotechnology, and data analytics applied to health and environmental sciences. He currently holds the roles of Distinguished University Professor and Dr. Haykin Distinguished Engineering Professor at McMaster University, Canada. His global standing is reflected in his election as a Fellow of 14 national and international academies and societies—including the Royal Society of Canada (Canada’s highest academic honor), the Chinese Academy of Sciences, IEEE, American Physical Society, and Electrochemical Society. He has also received top-tier awards: the RSC’s Eadie Medal, Alexander von Humboldt Research Award, and the Order of Canada (the nation’s highest civilian honor). A highly sought-after contributor to academic discourse, he has delivered over 230 plenary/keynote talks and 300+ invited seminars worldwide, with 29 best paper/presentation honors, and secured over $100M in competitive research funding (leading multimillion-dollar programs).
Dr. Deen drives innovation in brain-inspired intelligence for cyber-physical systems, applying Cognitive Dynamic Systems (CDS) to healthcare and high-performance fiber communications. His CDS framework—built on perception-action cycles, memory, and attention—enables smarter sensing, decision-making, and control: it yielded breakthroughs in arrhythmia detection (for smart U-Health homes) and enhanced fiber-optic service quality. An advocate for global collaboration, he leads academic exchanges across institutions, advancing interdisciplinary AI progress. His work transcends borders to support global AI innovation, and his profound expertise paired with a collaborative spirit has earned broad international recognition and praise.
Member Yixin Zhong is a pioneer in China's information science and artificial intelligence field, currently serving as a Professor at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications and Director of the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute at University of Jinan. He founded the "General Information Theory" and the "Unified Theory of Artificial Intelligence", published 16 monographs, and authored more than 450 academic papers. His achievements have won the First-Class and Second-Class Science and Technology Progress Awards of China's Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. He promoted "Intelligent Science and Technology" to become a first-class discipline in China, cultivated a large number of high-end talents, and was elected a Fellow of multiple national academies of sciences. In 2025, he was awarded the title of "National Most Beautiful Teacher".
Having devoted decades to the AI field, Member Yixin Zhong has made outstanding contributions to theoretical system construction and core technology research and development. He has always adhered to his academic original aspiration and committed himself to the popularization and promotion of AI technology. Not only has he cultivated a large number of backbone talents for the industry, but he has also guided the development direction of the AI field with his unique academic insights, injecting strong momentum into industrial upgrading and social progress.
These three members have devoted their lifelong efforts to nurturing the development of the AI field. Their perseverance, innovation, sense of responsibility, and dedication serve as spiritual role models for AI practitioners worldwide. Congratulations again to Member Weimin Zheng, Member Mohamed Jamal Deen, and Member Yixin Zhong on this well-deserved honor! We look forward to seeing more breakthroughs and possibilities in the AI field under the leadership of these pioneers, continuing to empower global development!