The award recognises his contribution to the Chinese mission to the moon, Chang‘E 4. Together with his team, he developed and built the Lunar Lander Neutron and Dosimetry (LND) instrument at Kiel University (CAU). It has been measuring radiation levels on the moon since the start of 2019, because the radiation there represents a serious hazard for future manned moon bases. It was possible to measure this radiation precisely for the first time using this instrument.

The Beijing Science and Technology Award 2020 was announced at the Zhongguancun Forum on 25 September. 150 achievements and 14 individual scientists – six of whom are international researchers – received awards.