University Awards

University Research Recognition Award

The COVID-19 pandemic further highlights the need and importance of a better understanding of virus-host interaction. By conducting comparative studies of bats and humans, we aim to develop novel bat-inspired approaches and strategies to improve human health. ” Professor Wang Linfa
Duke-NUS Medical School
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Research Interests

  • Zoonotic diseases
  • Bat immunology
  • Pathogen discovery

Research Achievements

  • Internationally recognised for his stellar contributions to the field of emerging bat viruses and bat biology, Prof Wang has fuelled discoveries and biomedical innovations that have helped combat several viral outbreaks, from the Hendra virus in Australia to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Played a leading role in identifying bats as the natural host of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus. During the COVID-19 outbreak, he developed the world’s first antibody-based test to detect infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and developed broad-spectrum vaccine candidates for better protection against future variants and related viruses.
  • His pioneering work on bat immunology has led to the establishment of bats as a new animal model to study inflammation, metabolism and age-related diseases. Intellectual properties derived from such research have been licensed for the development of novel bat-inspired therapeutics to improve human health.
  • Informed public health policies at national and international levels through his research and expertise. He is the inaugural Executive Director of the Programme for Research in Epidemic Preparedness and Response, Singapore, and has served on multiple World Health Organisation COVID-19 committees.

Publication Credits

  • Published more than 500 scientific papers in many top journals, including Science, Nature, New England Journal of Medicine, and The Lancet
  • Invited contributor to numerous scholarly publications, including as editor of Bats and Viruses: A New Frontier of Emerging Infectious Diseases (2015), and contributing author to The COVID-19 Textbook: Science, Medicine and Public Health (2024), among others
  • Featured in Clarivate’s list of Highly Cited Researchers, which recognises researchers who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their fields (2024, 2023, 2022)

International Standing

  • Elected Fellow to the Singapore National Academy of Science (2024)
  • Elected Fellow to the Australian Academy of Science (2023)
  • Elected Fellow to the American Academy of Microbiology (2021)
  • Elected Fellow to the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (2010)
  • Editor-in-Chief of Virology (2012–22)

Awards And Accolades

  • Public Administration Medal (Silver), National Day Awards (2023)
  • Springer Nature Editorial Leadership Award (2022)
  • President’s Science Award (2021)
  • SingHealth Duke-NUS Research Team Award (First prize) (2020)
  • National Healthcare Group Research and Innovation Award (2020)

Education

  • PhD (University of California, Davis)
  • BSc (East China Normal University)
 Honour Roll Recipients