About Chi-Ming Chu
Lived 1917 – 1998 (aged 80). Chi-Ming Chu was a Chinese scientist and virology, known for Influenza, Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 and Influenza pandemic.
Zhu Jiming (; 12 September 1917 – 6 January 1998), better known in English as Chi-Ming Chu, was a Chinese virologist. He was a member of the Chinese Academy of Science and an Honorary Member of the American Society for Microbiology.
Early life and education Chu was born 12 September 1917 in Yixing, Jiangsu, China. He attended Shanghai Medical College and graduated in 1939. He gained his PhD in 1948 from Cambridge University.
Career Chu's career spanned from classical virology to the era of molecular virology. His research on influenza viruses included work on virus structure, surveillance and subunit vaccine development. He also worked on penicillin, attenuated viral vaccines, recombinant hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccines and vaccinia viral vectors.
Chu was the first head of the World Influenza Centre (WIC) at the National Institute for Medical Research at Mill Hill (London) from 1948 to 1950. After returning to China in 1950 he worked at the National Vaccine and Serum Institute (Beijing) before moving to the National Institute of Biologicals in Changchun and then the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine (CAPM). Chu's work on influenza viruses was important for later work on virus detection and the worldwide program of influenza virus surveillance. He discovered the Chu inhibitor, the filamentous property of influenza viruses, and the origins of the 1957 and 1977 influenza pandemics.
Chi-Ming Chu's personal motto was “Only by simplifying your everyday life and suppressing your desire for material things can you reach your goals. Only a calm mind and absence of anxiety will grant you broad vision”.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Chi-Ming Chu's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Chi-Ming Chu?
Chinese scientist
When was Chi-Ming Chu born?
Chi-Ming Chu was born on 26 August 1917 in Yixing.
When did Chi-Ming Chu die?
Chi-Ming Chu died on 6 January 1998.
What was Chi-Ming Chu's occupation?
Chi-Ming Chu was a scientist and virology.
What was Chi-Ming Chu known for?
Chi-Ming Chu was known for Influenza, Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 and Influenza pandemic.
What nationality was Chi-Ming Chu?
Chi-Ming Chu was Chinese.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Chi-Ming Chu. https://biography.guide/chi-ming-chu/
MLA: "Chi-Ming Chu." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/chi-ming-chu/.
Chicago: "Chi-Ming Chu." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/chi-ming-chu/.
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