2026 Frontier & Pioneer Symposium
Celebrating our shared American history, the pursuit of scientific and research excellence, our Asian American pioneers, and the transformative power of innovation, the Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) hosted the 2026 Frontier & Pioneer Symposium from August 7–9, 2026, at Stanford University.
The three-day program opened with the Frontier Symposium at Stanford Memorial Auditorium, spanning life sciences, materials and energy, AI infrastructure, quantum computing, and AI in education. It continued with the Pioneer Symposium and the Pioneer and Justice Medal Ceremony, and closed with a Policy Forum held jointly with the Hoover Institution at Hauck Auditorium. Across the weekend, Nobel laureates, a Fields Medalist, and leaders from academia, industry, and public service joined scholars and students from across the country and around the world.
Agenda
Click to jump to the day you want to watch. A few session videos are still to come and will be added as they become available.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 1
Frontier Symposium · August 7, 2026
Opening
Speakers:
- Yi Cui, Program Co-Chair; Fortinet Founders Professor, Stanford University
- Kai Li, Program Co-Chair; Paul & Marcia Wythes Professor, Princeton University
- Gisela Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum
- Jeanne Tsai, Dunlevie Family Professor of Psychology, Stanford University
Life Sciences
Keynote:
Chuan He
John T. Wilson Distinguished Service Professor, University of Chicago
Panel Discussion:
- Haifan Lin, Eugene Higgins Professor of Cell Biology, Yale University (Moderator)
- Bianxiao Cui, Job and Gertrud Tamaki Professor of Chemistry, Stanford University
- Na Ji, Professor of Physics, UC Berkeley
- Stanley Qi, Associate Professor of Bioengineering
- Alice Ting, Professor of Genetics and of Biology, Stanford University
- Liqun Luo, Ann and Bill Swindells Professor, Stanford University (Session Chair)
Materials & Energy
Keynote:
Yi Cui
Fortinet Founders Professor, Stanford University
Panel Discussion:
- Peidong Yang, S. K. and Angela Chan Distinguished Chair in Energy, UC Berkeley (Moderator)
- Mark Brongersma, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University
- Liangbing Hu, Carol and Douglas Melamed Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering & Materials Science, Yale University
- Ting Xu, Professor of Chemistry & Materials Science and Engineering, UC Berkeley
- Fu-Kuo Chang, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University (Session Chair)
Keynote Fireside Chat With Jeff Dean
Jeff Dean, Chief Scientist of Google DeepMind and Google Research
Host and Moderator: Dawn Song, Professor of EECS, UC Berkeley; VP of AI Research, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Session Chair: Xuedong Huang, CTO of Zoom
AI Infrastructure and Platform
Keynote:
Amin Vahdat
Senior VP and Chief Technologist for AI and Infrastructure, Google
Panel Discussion:
- Dawn Song, Professor of EECS, UC Berkeley; VP of AI Research, Meta Superintelligence Labs (Moderator)
- Sanchin Katti, VP, Compute Strategy & GPT-Infra, OpenAI
- Ian Buck, VP and General Manager, Hyperscale and HPC, NVIDIA
- Yiran Chen, John Cocke Distinguished Professor, Duke University (Session Chair)
Quantum Computing
Keynote:
Liang Jiang
Professor of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago
Panel Discussion:
- Yi-Zhuang You, Associate Professor of Physics, UC San Diego; Co-Founder & CTO, EdenCode Inc. (Moderator)
- Jin-Yi Cai, Juris Hartmanis Professor in Computer Science, University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Liang Jiang, Professor of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago
- Vedika Khemani, Associate Professor of Physics, Stanford University
- Jungsang Kim, Schiciano Family Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University
- Jon Simon, Joan Reinhart Professor and Professor of Applied Physics
- Xiaoliang Qi, Professor of Physics, Stanford University (Session Chair)
Keynote: AI & Education
Keynote:
Carl Wieman
Nobel laureate; Cheriton Family Professor and Professor of Physics and of Education, Emeritus, Stanford University
Followed by a Q&A. Session Chair: Xiaoliang Qi, Professor of Physics, Stanford University
Fellows Induction & Evening Reception
The day closed with the AASF Fellows Induction, a social reception at Dohrmann Grove open to all attendees, and a social dinner at the Traitel Building.
Research/Mentorship Lunch Roundtables
Held August 7 & 8, the Research and Mentorship lunch roundtables brought scholars, guests and students together with table hosts across topic areas including:
- Mathematics, AI & Machine Learning
- Materials & Energy
- AI Infrastructure & Platform
- Physics, Quantum Science & Photonic Science
- Semiconductor & Integrated Circuit
- Life Science
- AI, Education & Society
- Social Sciences & Humanities
Day 2
Pioneer Symposium and Medal Ceremony · August 8, 2026
Opening
Speakers:
- Yi Cui, Program Co-Chair; Fortinet Founders Professor, Stanford University
- Kai Li, Program Co-Chair; Paul M. Wythes & Marcia R. Wythes Professor, Princeton University
- Gisela Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum
Opening Keynote Remarks:
Dr. Tsu-Jae King Liu
President of the National Academy of Engineering
Keynote: Samuel Ting
Keynote:
Samuel Ting
Nobel laureate; Thomas D. Cabot Institute Chair, MIT
“Encounters with modern physics.”
Session Chair: Giorgio Gratta, Ray Lyman Wilbur Professor, Department of Physics, Stanford University
Keynote: Louise Chow
Keynote:
Louise Chow
Anderson Family Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham
“Through the Looking Glass: Adventures in the Microscopy Wonderland.”
Session Chair: Haifan Lin, Eugene Higgins Professor of Cell Biology, Yale University
Keynote Fireside Chat With Steven Chu
Steven Chu, Nobel laureate; Former U.S. Secretary of Energy; Professor, Stanford University
Host: Arun Majumdar, Dean of the Doerr School of Sustainability and founding Director of ARPA-E
Session Chair: Yi Cui, Fortinet Founders Professor, Stanford University
Remarks: Jay Xu
Jay Xu, Co-Chair, National Asian Pacific American Museum Commission
Keynote Fireside Chat With Terence Tao
Terence Tao, Fields Medalist; Professor, UCLA
Moderator: Ken Ono, Commonwealth Professor of Mathematics, University of Virginia; Founding Mathematician, Axiom Math
Session Chair: Xihong Lin, Professor and Chair of the Department of Statistics, Harvard University
Keynote Fireside Chat With Fei-Fei Li
Fei-Fei Li, Founder and CEO, World Labs; Sequoia Professor, Stanford University
Host: Richard Lui, NBC/MSNBC Anchor
Session Chair: Kai Li, Paul & Marcia Wythes Professor, Princeton University
Violin Performance
Performers:
- Siqing Lu, Paganini Competition Gold Medalist
- Kevin Zhu, Paganini Competition Gold Medalist
- Zhen Chen, Pianist
Pioneer and Justice Medal Ceremony
The 2026 Pioneer and Justice Medals were presented at Stanford Memorial Auditorium.
Pioneer Medalists:
- Louise T. Chow — for discovering RNA splicing, reshaping modern genetics and medicine
- Narinder Kapany — for pioneering fiber optics, the backbone of the Internet
- Syukuro Manabe — for transforming our understanding of Earth’s climate
- Terence Tao — for advancing mathematics from prime-number patterns to compressed sensing
- Samuel Ting — for discovering the J/ψ particle, revealing the charm quark
Justice Medalists:
- Hiram Fong — for being a trailblazer and pioneer in national politics
- Larry Itliong — for his activism in labor rights and protection
Co-Hosts:
- Gia Vang, Emmy Award-winning Journalist; Anchor, NBC Bay Area News
- Richard Lui, Anchor, NBCU News Group; Bestselling Author and Filmmaker
Sponsor Gala Dinner
The evening closed with a social reception at Dohrmann Grove, open to all attendees, and the Sponsor Gala Dinner at the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford.
Day 3
Policy Forum
by AASF & Hoover · August 9, 2026
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Speakers:
- Glenn Tiffert, Distinguished Research Fellow & Co-Chair of the Program on the US, China, and the World, Hoover Institution
- Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum
Opening Keynote:
Karen Korematsu
Founder and President of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute; AASF Leadership Advisory Council Member
Fireside Chat: Innovation and the Federal Enterprise
The Honorable Nani A. Coloretti, Cabinet Secretary to California Governor Gavin Newsom; former Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Moderator: Arun Majumdar, Dean of the Doerr School of Sustainability and founding Director of ARPA-E
Session Chair: Steven Kivelson, Professor of Physics, Stanford University
Panel: The Funding Future of the American Research University
Panelists:
- Yasheng Huang, Epoch Foundation Professor of International Management, MIT
- Keith Yamamoto, Professor of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Vice Chancellor for Science Policy and Strategy, UCSF
- Samuel S.-H. Wang, Professor of Neuroscience, Princeton University; President, Electoral Innovation Lab
- Glenn Tiffert, Co-host, the Hoover Institution Program on the US, China, and the World (Moderator)
- Min Wu, Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland, College Park (Session Chair)
Fireside Chat: Lessons Across Generations
Congressman Michael M. Honda, former Member of Congress representing Silicon Valley, California, 2001–2017; former Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
Moderator: Sha Wang, Founding Partner, Terra Magnum Capital Partners
Session Chair: Yiran Chen, John Cocke Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University
Caught in the Middle: U.S.–China Competition and the Fate of America’s Scientists
Panelists:
- Gang Chen, Carl Richard Soderberg Professor of Power Engineering, MIT
- Jason Liang, Trial Lawyer and Founding Partner, Liang Ly Firm
- Graham Webster, Research Scholar, Program on Geopolitics, Technology, and Governance; Editor-in-Chief, DigiChina Project, Stanford University
- Margaret (Maggie) Lewis, Professor, Seton Hall Law School; AASF Legal Advisory Council Member (Moderator)
- Xiaodong Zhang, Robert M. Critchfield Professor in Engineering, Ohio State University (Session Chair)
Fireside Chat: Science, Competitiveness, and Public Service
Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, 15th Director of the National Science Foundation
Moderator: Secretary Steven Chu, Nobel laureate and 12th U.S. Secretary of Energy; AASF Leadership Council
Session Chair: Xihong Lin, Henry Pickering Walcott Professor, Harvard University
Fireside Chat: Congressional Leadership and the Path Forward
Congressman Ted Lieu, U.S. Representative (CA), 36th Congressional District; Member of the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs Committees
Moderator: Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum
Session Chair: Serena Rao, Senior Associate Dean, Stanford Office of the Vice Provost and Dean of Research
Closing Keynote and Remarks
Introduced by Yi Cui, Program Co-Chair; Fortinet Founders Professor, Stanford University
Closing Keynote: Congressman Sam Liccardo, U.S. Representative (CA), 16th Congressional District; Chair of the New Democratic Coalition’s Innovation & Technology Working Group; former Mayor of San Jose
Closing Remarks: Kai Li, Program Co-Chair; Paul M. Wythes & Marcia R. Wythes Professor, Princeton University
