Career

Dr. Shi, who received PhD in Biophysics from Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University

The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...

 in 1995, has determined the crystal structure

Crystal structure

In mineralogy and crystallography, crystal structure is a unique arrangement of atoms or molecules in a crystalline liquid or solid. A crystal structure is composed of a pattern, a set of atoms arranged in a particular way, and a lattice exhibiting long-range order and symmetry...

 of several critical apoptotic proteins, including apaf-1, DIAP1, and the BIR3 domain of XIAP

XIAP

X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein also known as inhibitor of apoptosis protein 3 and baculoviral IAP repeat-containing protein 4 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the XIAP gene....

. He was the Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis Professor in the department of Molecular Biology

Molecular biology

Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...

 at Princeton University

Princeton University

Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

. In June 2008, he was selected as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a United States non-profit medical research organization based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded by the American businessman Howard Hughes in 1953. It is one of the largest private funding organizations for biological and medical research in the United...

 investigator. However, he rejected the award upon resigning his position at Princeton University in order to pursue his career at Tsinghua University

Tsinghua University

Tsinghua University , colloquially known in Chinese as Qinghua, is a university in Beijing, China. The school is one of the nine universities of the C9 League. It was established in 1911 under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang" or "Tsinghua College" and was renamed the "Tsinghua School" one year later...

, Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

, becoming the dean of life sciences there. In 2003, he was appointed a Chair Professor of Tsinghua's Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology. He was appointed Vice Director of Tsinghua's Institute of Biomedicine and Vice Dean of Tsinghua's Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology in 2007. He was appointed Dean of Tsinghua's School of Life Sciences (replacing the Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology) in 2009.

Awards

• 2010 Raymond and Beverly Sackler International Prize
  Sackler Prize
  The Raymond and Beverly Sackler International Prize is a $40,000 prize in the disciplines of either physics or chemistry awarded by Tel Aviv University each year for young scientists who have made outstanding and fundamental contributions in their fields. It was created through the generosity of...
  
  
• Irving Sigal Young Investigator Award, from the Protein Society
• Searle Scholar Award
  Searle Scholars Program
  The Searle Scholars Program is a career development award made annually to the 15 young US professionals in biomedical research and chemistry considered most promising...
  
  
• Rita Allen Scholar Award

External links

• Dr. Shi Yigong Appointed Vice Director of Tsinghua’s Institute of Biomedicine, Tsinghua University News
• Why coming back to China is the best choice (in Chinese)
• Yigong Shi bio page, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a United States non-profit medical research organization based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded by the American businessman Howard Hughes in 1953. It is one of the largest private funding organizations for biological and medical research in the United...