Nianshuang Wang & Jason McLellan
As a UT Austin postdoctoral scientist and international scholar in the lab of Professor Jason McLellan, Nianshuang Wang worked around the clock to help save lives during Operation Warp Speed. The pair of scientists were both first-generation public university students at they time they sought their degrees. They went on to work together for years to understand coronaviruses and other respiratory infectious diseases. Their persistence amid various setbacks led to critical insights into, for example, the spike protein on coronaviruses. When Wang identified ways to stabilize this protein so that it could be used to make effective vaccines, he based his work in part on earlier research McLellan had done with RSV – efforts that led to McLellan’s addition to the National Inventors Hall of Fame as one of its youngest-ever inductees. These scientists’ contributions helped prevent tens of millions of deaths and hospitalizations worldwide through effective vaccines against COVID-19 and RSV.