Dr. LIU Yongjun is Former Global Head of Research at Sanofi. He was responsible for leading Sanofi Research of all therapeutic areas to strengthen our internal discovery engine, effectively capture external breakthrough opportunities, and deliver an innovative and robust early portfolio that ensures our sustainable growth.

Yong-Jun began his professional career at the Schering-Plough’s Laboratory for Immunological Research in 1991.  After working and living in France for six years, he joined the DNAX Research Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, California, as a senior staff scientist. In 2002, he became a professor at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the Chair of Immunology Department, as well as the Director of the Center for Cancer Immunology Research. In 2011, he was appointed as vice president and chief scientific officer (CSO) for the Baylor Research Institute (BRI) and the Director of the Baylor Institute for Immunology Research (BIIR). Since early 2014, prior to joining Sanofi, he has served as CSO and Head of Research at Medimmune, a biologics company of AstraZeneca.

Yong-Jun received his MD from Norman Bethune University, School of Medicine, China, in 1984 and completed his Ph.D. and postdoctoral training in Immunology at the University of Birmingham (UK), School of Medicine in 1991. Throughout his career, Yong-Jun has been honored with numerous awards, is the inventor/co-inventor of 44 patents and has been published more than 250 papers/reviews in leading scientific journals.  He is one of the most cited immunologists with more than 80,000 citations (Google Scholar) and has over 25 years of extensive experience in Immunology, Oncology and Translation Medicine. The discoveries from his laboratory provided the scientific foundation for the development of three innovative molecules into the clinic for treating Allergy, Autoimmune diseases and Cancer.