Rate My Professor Sheemei Lok

Sheemei Lok is a Provost’s Chair Professor in the Emerging Infectious Diseases programme at Duke-NUS Medical School and in the Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore. She currently serves as Interim Vice-Dean of Research at Duke-NUS Medical School and holds additional roles including membership in the NUS University Promotion and Tenure Committee and the NTU Institute of Structural Biology. Professor Lok obtained a Diploma in Biotechnology from Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 1993, a BSc in Biochemistry/Microbiology and BSc(Hons) in Virology/Immunology from Queensland University of Technology in 1994 and 1995 respectively, an MSc in Virology/Immunology from the National University of Singapore in 1999, and a PhD specializing in X-ray crystallography from the National University of Singapore in 2005. Her postdoctoral training was completed at Purdue University under Professor Michael Rossmann from 2004 to 2009, followed by a visiting assistant professor position at Baylor College of Medicine in 2010.

Professor Lok is a structural virologist whose laboratory focuses on the structural changes of flaviviruses and alphaviruses during their infection cycles and the effects of antiviral therapeutics and antibodies using cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography. She joined Duke-NUS as an Assistant Professor and National Research Foundation Fellow in 2009, advancing to Associate Professor in 2014 and full Professor in 2019. She has also served as Deputy Director of the Emerging Infectious Diseases programme and Vice-Chair of the Duke-NUS APT promotion committee. Her honors include the National Research Foundation Fellowship in 2009, the National Research Foundation Investigatorship in 2016, the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Alumni Award for Science and Technology in 2013, and recognition as one of the seven scientists from Singapore to watch by Asian Scientist in 2016. She participates in peer review for leading journals including Science, Nature, and the Journal of Virology.