Schmidt Science Fellow Xiwen Gong has been awarded the prestigious 2026 Sony Women in Technology Award with Nature.

The pioneer of innovative soft electronics received the Early Career Award in the global initiative that recognises exceptional women researchers driving positive impact on society and the planet.

Xiwen said she was thrilled to receive the accolade and added: “It’s a great initiative to promote female scientists and engineers and highlight their achievements.

“I hope we can inspire the next generation of young girls and women researchers to pursue careers in STEM.”

Magdalena Skipper, Editor in Chief of Nature and chair of the judging panel, said the finalists “exemplify the transformative power of technology when combined with creativity and scientific excellence”.

She added: “The Sony Women in Technology Award with Nature celebrates the ingenuity and impact of early and mid-career women researchers whose technology innovations are shaping a better future for society and the planet. 

“Their excellence and dedication serve as an inspiration for the next generation of women in STEM, and we are proud to celebrate their contributions to making a more inclusive future for research and technology.”

Xiwen was commended for her work on the molecular and interfacial design of solution-processed semiconductors.

Her soft electronics research has potential impacts across healthcare, wearable technologies, and next-generation solar energy.

In 2018, she was part of the inaugural cohort of Schmidt Science Fellows, pivoting from photonics at the University of Toronto to chemical engineering and materials science at Stanford University. 

Megan Kenna, Schmidt Science Fellows Founding Executive Director, said: “We are incredibly proud of Xiwen and all she has accomplished. This award is not only richly deserved but a reflection of her curiosity, courage, and unwavering commitment to discovery.

“As one of our original cohort of 14 Fellows, Xiwen has helped shape the very spirit of our community. She is paving a path for others through her bold, interdisciplinary approach to research and in the leadership example she creates.”

Now an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan, Xiwen said: “As a Schmidt Science Fellow, I am proud to say my research group is very interdisciplinary.”

She added: “Our research aims to power technologies that improve human lives and sustain our planet. By innovating electronic materials and devices from the atomic scale upward, we create soft and biocompatible electronics that conform to biological tissues, enabling continuous health monitoring and therapeutic intervention, advancing precision and personalized healthcare. 

“At the same time, we leverage these molecularly engineered materials to develop low-cost, stable, and scalable solar cells that accelerate the global transition to clean and renewable energy.”

Discover the work of the Gong Research Group