Laureate asks young scientists to take risks

Scientific research should be guided by scholars' curiosity, and young researchers should have the freedom to take risks and pursue unexpected discoveries, Nobel Prize-winning scientist Randy W Schekman said during the 2026 World Laureates Forum held in Shanghai from Oct 30 to Nov 1.

The 2013 winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, who chairs the selection committee for the WLF Prize in Life Science or Medicine, outlined the award's unique mission of recognizing major research that has been overlooked by the international scientific community.

"There are some prizes like the Nobel, where people who win have often won many other awards. Sometimes it becomes a frenzy for a new award to give it to somebody that's gonna win a Nobel Prize," Schekman explained. "I feel that there are lots of really important discoveries that get overlooked. What we want to do is be the first to recognize major discoveries that have been overlooked by the international community."

The scientist praised the caliber of research emerging from China, noting that he had observed important discoveries by young Chinese scholars at the forum.

"Science is bursting in China. The technologies are advancing as they have around the world, and they're being adopted and implemented here," he said. "Because some of this year's winners are scholars here, it will attract more attention to scholarship in China."

Schekman also called for enhanced international scientific collaboration and warned against political barriers hindering academic exchange. "My big lament has been the lack of interaction and Chinese scholars struggling to get visas to come to the US to speak about their work," he said. "I see that as a negative trend for the US, and also for China."

He also criticized the overreliance on journal impact factors in evaluating scientific merit. "Unfortunately, too many young scholars feel that they have to publish in journals that have a high impact factor, but these numbers are commercially manipulated to the benefit of journals," he said.

On artificial intelligence's expanding role in research, Schekman maintained a balanced perspective. "AI represents that new frontier and a lot of science going forward will rely on the use of AI, but I don't think the human brain is going to become any less important," he said.

"This work will continue to be guided by human intuition and creativity. I haven't seen a novel concept or new approach generated yet by AI agents."

Regarding his own Parkinson's disease research, Schekman expressed optimism about potential breakthroughs. "I am confident that within five years, there will be a real, promising approach, and I boldly speculate that something will emerge that will reach the clinic," he predicted.

As the forum brought more young scholars to center stage, Schekman encouraged them to embrace uncertainty. "A young person should take risks to be a successful scientist. That means getting out of your comfort zone and doing something different. Pursue the unexpected with passion and precision until you achieve new insight. That's the beauty of scientific discovery."