Dr Maria Zhu is Assistant Professor at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and Adjunct Professor at Shantou University (STU). She currently serves as Associate Director of the Joint Institute of Virology (STU/HKU) and the State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases (HKU-Shenzhen Branch). She is also Co-director of the Joint Laboratory for International Cooperation in Virology and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, China. Her research focused on influenza and other emerging infectious diseases. Over the past years, she has been at the forefront of assessing risks of emerging viruses and identifying threats to human health through emerging viral diseases, bringing about fundamental understanding of how viruses develop at the human and animal interface.