Nobel Laureate Dan Shechtman: Science Must Be Cherished, and Technology Respected
WA, UNITED STATES, September 23, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- “Science brings revolutionary breakthroughs, but technological development is a long, gradual process. It may take only a year or two to find the right composition for an alloy, yet turning that discovery into a mature product can take as long as 20 years.”
In early 2026, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Dan Shechtman, the 2011 Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry, spoke exclusively with a Southern Finance reporter about the stark contrast between scientific breakthroughs and technological development, highlighting the many challenges involved in bringing basic research into industrial applications.
Shechtman drew on his own research experience as an example. During his postdoctoral research, he focused on developing titanium-aluminum alloys. After identifying the optimal composition and achieving a key scientific breakthrough, it took nearly two decades of further technological refinement before the titanium-aluminum material left the laboratory and was eventually used in aircraft engines.
In his view, even everyday products such as razor blades and glassware are the result of years of scientific research and continuous technological refinement. “That’s why we need to cherish science, but also respect technology.”
Shechtman won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of quasicrystals. He is a pioneer in modern materials science and has long been involved in science and technology education as well as international scientific collaboration. Now in his eighties, he remains active in research and continues to promote scientific cooperation between China and Israel, contributing to exchanges and development in science, technology and new materials. In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the Chinese Government Friendship Award.
For years, he has worked with Xi’an University of Technology on magnesium alloy research. In 2025, he was elected a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Since his first visit to China in 1987, he has returned dozens of times for academic exchanges, witnessing firsthand the rapid rise of China’s scientific and technological innovation. He has also expressed recognition of China’s achievements in areas including new energy vehicles and mobile payments.
Between a laboratory vessel and an industrial production line lies a “valley of death” that many scientific discoveries struggle to cross. Advanced materials research is often long, costly and high-risk. Turning a scientifically viable discovery into a product that can be manufactured at scale requires sustained patience from researchers, long-term commitment from industry, and effective mechanisms for technology transfer to work together.
Today, emerging tools such as AI and high-throughput experimentation are reshaping the pace and methods of materials research. Can these new technologies help bridge the gap between basic research and industrial applications? How can scientific breakthroughs cross the “valley of death” and make the crucial leap from discovery to real-world application?
Watch Southern Finance’s “High-Level Interviews: Conversations with Global Scientific Giants” — an exclusive conversation with Dan Shechtman.
In early 2026, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Dan Shechtman, the 2011 Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry, spoke exclusively with a Southern Finance reporter about the stark contrast between scientific breakthroughs and technological development, highlighting the many challenges involved in bringing basic research into industrial applications.
Shechtman drew on his own research experience as an example. During his postdoctoral research, he focused on developing titanium-aluminum alloys. After identifying the optimal composition and achieving a key scientific breakthrough, it took nearly two decades of further technological refinement before the titanium-aluminum material left the laboratory and was eventually used in aircraft engines.
In his view, even everyday products such as razor blades and glassware are the result of years of scientific research and continuous technological refinement. “That’s why we need to cherish science, but also respect technology.”
Shechtman won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of quasicrystals. He is a pioneer in modern materials science and has long been involved in science and technology education as well as international scientific collaboration. Now in his eighties, he remains active in research and continues to promote scientific cooperation between China and Israel, contributing to exchanges and development in science, technology and new materials. In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the Chinese Government Friendship Award.
For years, he has worked with Xi’an University of Technology on magnesium alloy research. In 2025, he was elected a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Since his first visit to China in 1987, he has returned dozens of times for academic exchanges, witnessing firsthand the rapid rise of China’s scientific and technological innovation. He has also expressed recognition of China’s achievements in areas including new energy vehicles and mobile payments.
Between a laboratory vessel and an industrial production line lies a “valley of death” that many scientific discoveries struggle to cross. Advanced materials research is often long, costly and high-risk. Turning a scientifically viable discovery into a product that can be manufactured at scale requires sustained patience from researchers, long-term commitment from industry, and effective mechanisms for technology transfer to work together.
Today, emerging tools such as AI and high-throughput experimentation are reshaping the pace and methods of materials research. Can these new technologies help bridge the gap between basic research and industrial applications? How can scientific breakthroughs cross the “valley of death” and make the crucial leap from discovery to real-world application?
Watch Southern Finance’s “High-Level Interviews: Conversations with Global Scientific Giants” — an exclusive conversation with Dan Shechtman.
Mo Zhang
Dongfang Yiyang (Beijing) Consulting Co., Ltd.
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