Dr. Nicholas Wu, an Assistant Professor at the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been named the recipient of the Young Scientist Innovative award given by the European Scientific Working group on Influenza’s (ESWI). The $11,000 award, which will support Wu’s work and his mentorship of young scientists, is supported by Seqirus, one of the world’s leading producers of influenza vaccine.
Wu’s work focuses on facilitating influenza vaccine development through a multidisciplinary approach across molecular biology, biochemistry, virology, immunology, bioinformatics and structural biology. He plans to use his grant to support his students in attending conferences, as part of his goal of helping to foster the careers of the next generation of scientists.
This is the second year for the award, which aims to support emerging researchers working toward breakthroughs in influenza that can help enhance protection, efficacy and effectiveness.
Last year’s inaugural award winner, Dr. Kirsty Short, a virology research fellow at the University of Queensland, Australia, won the award for her innovative research in vaccine development, which focuses on the pathogenesis of respiratory viral infections, particularly in patients with comorbidities like diabetes and obesity.
