2026-05-11
Dr. Bu and Dr. Hsueh celebrate PhD graduation
Congratulations to Dr. Fan Bu and Dr. Fu-Chun “Jim” Hsueh on completing their PhD training and graduating from the University of Minnesota.
Both Fan and Jim successfully defended their PhD dissertations this spring. Fan’s dissertation, “Structural Mechanism of Ebolavirus Entry and Inhibitor Development,” focused on the structural mechanisms of ebolavirus entry and the development of anti-ebolavirus inhibitors. Jim’s dissertation, “Structural Basis of Bat and Raccoon Dog ACE2 Receptor Recognition by Sarbecoviruses,” examined how SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses recognize host receptors and the implications for cross-species transmission.
Through their dissertation research, Fan and Jim made important contributions to the Li Lab’s efforts to understand how emerging viruses infect host cells, transmit across host species, and how these processes can be targeted for antiviral intervention.
It has been a privilege to mentor Fan and Jim throughout their PhD studies and to celebrate this important milestone with them at commencement. We are delighted that Fan will continue in the lab as a postdoctoral researcher, and we wish both Fan and Jim continued success in the next stage of their scientific careers.
