Rate My Professor Liang Shan

Liang Shan served as an Associate Professor (tenured) in the Division of Infectious Diseases within the Department of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis from 2023 to 2025, following his appointment as Assistant Professor from 2017 to 2022. He earned a B.S. in Biology from Nankai University in 2003, an M.S. in Microbiology from Fudan University in 2007, and a Ph.D. in HIV biology from Johns Hopkins University in 2012, after which he completed postdoctoral training at Yale University from 2013 to 2017. His research centered on the immunobiology of HIV-1 infection, with a focus on viral immunology, the CARD8 inflammasome as a sensor for HIV-1 protease activity, humanized mouse models for studying HIV infection and immunotherapy, control of infection by NK cells and tissue macrophages, and strategies to address latent viral reservoirs.

Shan received the Unanue Prize from Washington University in St. Louis in 2024 and the Andrew and Virginia Craig Faculty Award in 2022, along with other honors including a K99 Award from NIAID/NIH. Key publications include studies in Science on the CARD8 inflammasome sensor for HIV-1 protease activity (2021) and broad CTL responses required to clear latent HIV-1 (2015), as well as papers in Cell (2024), Nature Chemical Biology (2023), and the Journal of Clinical Investigation (2022) addressing HIV/SIV pathogenesis, chemical inhibition of DPP9, and human NK cell protection against HIV-1 in mouse models. He contributed to establishing the Midwest Developmental Center for AIDS Research and held roles supporting departmental science and technology initiatives during his tenure at the institution.