[Photo/WeChat account of BSC]

Yan Ning, an executive director of the Biophysical Society of China (BSC), was selected as one of the finalists for the Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists, according to a June 19 statement on the BSC WeChat official account.

Originally founded by the US-based Blavatnik Family Foundation in 2007 and independently administered by the New York Academy of Sciences to elevate the work and research of early-career scientists, the award is highly coveted among peers.

It recognizes the past accomplishments and future promise of the most talented faculty-rank scientists and engineers aged 42 years and younger at America's top academic and research institutions.

According to BSC officials, chosen from 305 nominations from 161 academic and research centers across 41 US states, the esteemed scientists and engineers will compete to be one of three Blavatnik National Awards Laureates in each of the award categories: chemistry, physical sciences & engineering, and life sciences.

Each laureate will win $250,000 and the three 2020 Blavatnik National Awards Laureates will be announced on July 22.

Officials said that one of the reasons for selecting Yan Ning published by the foundation was that she uses different animal toxins and venoms to uncover the structure of sodium-ion channels and calcium-ion channels in the body.

"This is a critical first step for drug discovery," officials added.