Welcoming Back Jean Millet: From Coronaviruses to Aquatic Viromes

We were delighted to welcome back Jean Millet, an alumnus of the HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, for a special seminar in which he shared both his research and his scientific journey.

Jean Millet began his work here at HKU-Pasteur, where he studied human coronavirus–host interactions in the pre-pandemic era. This early experience, combined with an international exchange at the Institut Pasteur, played a defining role in shaping his research trajectory. These formative years not only grounded his scientific expertise but also opened the door to an international career.

He later pursued postdoctoral research in the United States at Cornell University, where he explored the complex and still largely uncharted field of animal RNA viruses. His work has since evolved toward new frontiers, and he is now based at INRAE in France, where he investigates the vast and largely unexplored diversity of aquatic viruses.

Welcoming back a former member of HKU-Pasteur was an opportunity to reflect on the trajectories that begin within our laboratories and extend across institutions, countries, and scientific fields.