Annual Event Recognizes High-Impact and Transformative Research
Professor Xiaoping Zhu displays his award with Vice President for Research Gregory F. Ball
Xiaoping Zhu, a professor and chair of the Department of Veterinary Medicine was selected for special recognition at the University of Maryland’s annual Maryland Research Excellence Celebration on March 28.
The event, held at the Hotel at the University of Maryland and co-hosted by Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice and Vice President for Research Gregory F. Ball, honors the distinct and notable accomplishments of University of Maryland researchers and offers the opportunity to recognize the high-impact outcomes of the university’s research and scholarship community.
More than 200 University of Maryland faculty scholars and researchers were honored at the event and one faculty member from each school or college was selected for special recognition as having best exemplified research excellence.
“Our scholarship and research contribute to society in so many ways, from fundamentally changing the way we look at the universe, to generating new insights and innovations that have a very practical impact on our lives,” said Vice President for Research Gregory F. Ball.
Honorees were nominated by the deans of each school or college for demonstrably elevating the visibility and reputation of the university’s research enterprise.
Xiaoping Zhu was recognized for his research program studying mucosal immunology and infection, which is supported by several grants of over $4 million from NIH, USDA, and biotech companies in the past three years. Since January 2020, Dr. Zhu’s research has developed protein-based COVID nasal spray vaccines in the hope of being able to block the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection and thus reduce the risk of emerging new virus variants. His research highlights the importance and feasibility of developing a nasal spray variant-proof vaccine to fight against highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 variants and other respiratory infections. He received a co-inventor of the year in COVID-19 research. Working with UM Venture, he actively engages with biotech companies to move the patented vaccine platform technology to clinical trials.
This story was adapted from a story that appears on the UMD Division of Research website: https://research.umd.edu/articles/faculty-honored-2023-maryland-research-excellence-celebration
