Hao Wu is a structural immunologist recognized for her work in signal transduction of the immune system. In particular, she is known for revising fundamentally how we view the molecular mechanism of innate immune signaling by discovering the formation of large oligomeric signalosomes in these pathways. Wu was born in Beijing, China, in 1964 and received her pre-medical training at Peking University from 1982 to 1985. She studied Medicine at Peking Union Medical College from 1985 to 1988.
She obtained her PhD degree in Biochemistry from Purdue University in 1992. After performing postdoctoral research at Columbia University, she joined the faculty at Weill Cornell Medical College in 1997 and was promoted to Professor in 2003. In 2012, she moved to Harvard Medical School as Asa and Patricia Springer Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, and Senior Investigator in the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Wu has received a number of honors, including the Pew Scholar award, the Rita Allen Scholar award, New York Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Science and Technology, the Margaret Dayhoff Memorial Award from the Biophysical Society, and the NIH Pioneer Award.