Science on Screen Presents: Covid Century
Feb
20
2026
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Jason McLellan
Feb
20
2026
-
Jason McLellan
Description
In the public memory, COVID seemed to begin in spring 2020, but the critical outbreak that led to the pandemic began much earlier – and those weeks account especially for the changed world that we all live in today. “Covid Century” highlights key moments of the first 10 weeks after the discovery of the virus, from important disease-fighting advances that happened right here in Austin to anything-but-inevitable decisions by powerful people who should have known better. Where did the virus come from? Who helped alert the world to its dangers and when? And who were the scientists that tried to make up for lost time? “Covid Century” explores the consequences of losing valuable time in a race against an outbreak – and how to do better before the next outbreak.
Following the film, hear from one of the scientists on screen, MacArthur “Genius” grant award-winner Jason McLellan, a structural biologist and the Robert A. Welch Chair in Chemistry at The University of Texas at Austin. He and his team played a leading role in the discoveries that were the basis for all COVID-19 vaccines used in the United States and others used around the globe.
Science on Screen® at the Austin Film Society is an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
About the Speakers
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Jason McLellan
Professor
Department of Molecular Biosciences, UT Austin
Jason McLellan is the Welch Chair in Chemistry at The University of Texas at Austin. He researches viral and bacterial proteins, and his work to understand how these proteins are ...
Jason McLellan is the Welch Chair in Chemistry at The University of Texas at Austin. He researches viral and bacterial proteins, and his work to understand how these proteins are structured and how they function has factored into the development of vaccines and potential treatments for deadly pathogens that have impacted the lives of billions of people. Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, he developed a method for engineering key proteins in coronaviruses and respiratory viruses for use in vaccines. The associated technologies from his research are now found in many leading vaccines against COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a virus especially dangerous for young children and seniors. He is the winner of multiple scientific awards, including the National Academy of Sciences Award in Molecular Biology, the Park MahnHoon Award, the Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in Medicine, the Golden Goose Award, the William Prusoff Memorial Award and the Viruses Young Investigator in Virology Prize. His research and expertise have been featured in multiple media outlets including CNN, Fox News, USA Today, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post and National Geographic. Dr. McLellan earned a B.S. in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry from Wayne State University and his Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He conducted his postdoctoral research at the National Institutes of Health’s Vaccine Research Center. He previously served on the faculty at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
Location
AFS Cinema
6259 Middle Fiskville Rd