2021 Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence 

Fang Li, PhD, Veterinary Biomedical Sciences; Endowed Professor, Structural Biology of Disease; Director, Center for Coronavirus Research

Dr. Li obtained his PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University in 2002 where he was advised by distinguished Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Dr. Thomas A Steitz. During his PhD study, Dr. Li determined the first crystal structure of tRNA CCA-adding enzymes. Moving from Connecticut to Massachusetts, Dr. Li went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Harvard Medical School where he was mentored by renowned structural biologist Dr. Stephen C. Harrison. In his postdoctoral study, Dr. Li determined the first crystal structure describing how SARS-CoV-1 binds to its receptor.

Dr Li is currently the Endowed Professor of Structural Biology of Disease conducting impactful research on the structural bases of human and animal diseases, with a focus on viral diseases and cancer. His lab's focus encompasses basic research that targets the cell entry mechanisms of viruses and the cellular basis of cancer, as well as translational research to develop diagnostic and therapeutic strategies against these diseases.

Dr. Li serves as Director of the Center for Coronavirus research. Though his work on coronaviruses dates back to 2003, his recent work on SARS-CoV-2 has gained wide scientific accolades with publications in distinguished journals such as Nature, Nature Communications, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and the Journal of Virology. Dr. Li was among world’s most cited researchers 2021 according to Web of Science. As scientists eagerly sought to understand the molecular mechanism of the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020, Dr. Li gained worldwide recognition for elucidating the receptor recognition, immune evasion and protease activation of SARS-CoV-2. These findings laid the molecular foundations that have guided the global effort against the COVID pandemic. His group also developed candidate vaccines and drugs to battle SARS-CoV-2 infections. More recently, his lab worked to reveal the structural features of the spike protein of the omicron variant and to shed light on the reasons the variant was able to spread so quickly.