Ray Wu

Ray Wu

Ray Wu was a Chinese-born American scientist who studied genes. He worked at Cornell University as the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Molecular Genetics and Biology.

In 1970, Wu created the first way to read the code in DNA. Other scientists, like Frederick Sanger in 1975 and Walter Gilbert in 1977, also developed similar methods later. Wu’s work helped scientists learn about genes and the information they carry in all living things.

Biography

Ray Jui Wu was born in Beijing in 1928. His parents, Hsien and Daisy Yen Wu, were biologists who did important work in China. Ray grew up to become a famous scientist in the United States. He studied biochemistry at the University of Pennsylvania and earned his Ph.D. in 1955.

Ray made important discoveries about DNA, the instructions inside our cells. He helped start the field of plant genetic engineering and created a program called CUSBEA to help students. He worked for many years at Cornell University and supported students studying biology. One of his students, Jack W. Szostak, later won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2009.

Ray Wu Memorial Fund

The Ray Wu Memorial Fund is a nonprofit organization. It gives out a prize each year called the Ray Wu Prize for Excellence in Life Sciences. The prize helps young Ph.D. students in Asia. It inspires them to become leaders in life sciences.

Ray Wu Award

The Ray Wu Award was created to honor Dr. Ray Wu. He was a great scientist and helped train many new scientists from China. The award is given to members of the Chinese Biological Investigators Society who have made important discoveries in life sciences or helped grow science in China.