Arunee Thitithanyanont

Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University

Industry : Science

Switching from being a medical doctor to a scientist was a good move for Assoc Prof Dr Arunee, who was recently awarded L’Oréal Thailand For Women in Science Special Fellowships for Covid-19. She was recognised for her outstanding work in the research and development of Covid-19 diagnostic tests, therapeutic agents, vaccine for Covid-19 and the monitoring of the SARS-CoV-2 evolution. This working mom has achieved much in the past year
including collaborative efforts to identify that compounds in the finger root extract effectively inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 virus; publishing a manuscript to demonstrate Anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of fah talai jone herb; and the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines on virus variants. She is inspired by Anthony Fauci, Elon Musk as well as the film Dead
Poets Society where students are taught to look at things through a different perspective. She hopes to build a diverse, appropriately skilled and motivated science workforce for emerging viruses research and support others to access her BSL3 facility for Covid-19 research.