On the afternoon of September 16, Presentation Ceremony of Shanghai Magnolia Award ceremony in 2020 was held. Prof. Dimitri LAVILLETTE at Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy Sciences (IPS-CAS) was presented the award.  This year, fifty outstanding foreigners are from 19 countries in the fields of economy and trade, finance, technology, education, culture, health and so on. ZHANG Xiaosong, Director of the Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, and other leaders of Shanghai Municipal issued medals and certificates to the foreign winners.

At the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 epidemic broke out. The Magnolia winners and their institutes are trying their best on the work of Monetary and in-kind donations through global mobilization, Safe and orderly resumption of school and production, Dedication to overcoming research challenges etc. Their hearts are with Shanghai and China and they are confident that China shall prevail.

Dimitri Lavillette has been engaged in scientific research and teaching work on the prevention and treatment of hepatitis C virus and arborvirus invasion and infection mechanism. He has developed new antiviral strategies, continuously carried out international cooperation in scientific research projects, and published many influential papers and patents. After the COVID-19 outbreak, he actively participated in the research task of novel coronavirus at IPS-CAS, including the evaluation of vaccine potency, the exploration of the cell mechanism of COVID-19 invasion, and the study of the evolutionary path of the transmission between species by coronavirus and participated in the application work of COVID 19 Horizon 2020 RECoVER project in Europe. He is always trying his best and has made much contribution to the development and international cooperation of IPS. Dimitri Lavillette said that "Shanghai provides good opportunities and a broad platform for foreigners to work here, and I believe that more and more talents will gather in Shanghai."

Shanghai began presenting the Magnolia Awards in 1989. A total of 1266 foreigners have received the award over the past 30 years for their eminent contributions to Shanghai’s development and international cooperation.