Dr Maria Zhu Huachen, Associate Professor of School of Public Health, received the 16th Chinese Young Women in Science Fellowship (中國青年女科學家獎) for her contributions to scientific research and innovation. She is the only awardee from Hong Kong this year receiving the honour. 

Dr Zhu’s research has focused on elucidating mechanisms that lead to the emergence of viral threats at the human-animal interface – including viruses such as H1N1, H7N9, MERS, and most recently, SARS‑CoV‑2. In the past few years, she has identified zoonotic sources, transmission routes, evolutionary pathways, and molecular aspects that contribute to such viruses being severe threats to human health. Since 2020, she has been dedicated to developing vaccines and drugs for COVID-19. Her work is widely recognised by her peers and has been published in leading journals. 

This fellowship is highly prestigious and was jointly established by the All-China Women's Federation, the China Association for Science and Technology, the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, and L'Oréal China. The Fellowship recognises female scientists under the age of 45 who have made important and innovative scientific contributions. 

The School extends our sincerest congratulations to Dr Zhu for her achievement.

More details about Dr Zhu’s award and her work are available at the webpage (Chinese only).