Dr. Arinjay Banerjee (PhD’18) is an innovative scientist who aims to protect humans and animals through his influential work in One Health—the study of the interaction between human, animal, and environmental health. An award-winning virologist and a leader in the field of comparative immunology, Banerjee’s research group at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at USask investigates how emerging zoonotic viruses, such as coronaviruses, impact human and bat health.

In 2018, Banerjee completed his PhD at USask, where his doctoral thesis on bat-coronavirus interactions was awarded the Best Life Sciences thesis award and the Governor General’s Gold Medal. He undertook postdoctoral training at McMaster University, during which time he was appointed as a visiting scientist at the University of Toronto to join the fight against COVID-19.

While Banerjee is still early in his scientific career, he has established himself as a rising star in the field of virus-host interactions and coronavirus biology. He has received multiple prestigious scholarships, fellowships, and awards, including academic and society-level awards. When the global COVID-19 pandemic began, Banerjee was recruited as part of a team at the University of Toronto that rapidly isolated SARS-CoV-2 from clinical patients. His hard work and dedication to understanding the novel pandemic-causing coronavirus and to enable a Canadian rapid response to curb the impacts of COVID-19 was recognized with two awards at McMaster University: the Gerard Wright postdoctoral award in infection research (2020) and the postdoctoral fellow impact award (2021).

As part of his commitment to knowledge sharing, Banerjee has been featured prominently through social media and in digital and print media as an expert on zoonotic viruses and One Health, thereby raising the profile and global impact of his research. A champion of inter- and multi-disciplinary collaborations, his research extends well beyond institutional, provincial, and national borders as he works with colleagues around the world, including in the U.S., France, Germany, India, Australia, and Singapore.

Banerjee ensures his internationally recognized research lab continues to push the frontiers of science while encompassing the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion. He shares his passion for science with his colleagues and the wider community, volunteering with schools to engage students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Banerjee’s contributions to science and society are reflected in his multiple cross-appointments across top Canadian research institutions, including the universities of Saskatchewan, Waterloo, Toronto, and British Columbia, and he remains committed to making science accessible to many diverse audiences.