Ryan Mesler is a biochemistry and molecular biology researcher with a primary interest in the mechanistic activity of proteins within cancer biology. Although initially engaged in microbiology research, the Memphis, Tenn., native hopes to use his lecture-based biochemistry background from his undergraduate degree as well as his protein-focused undergraduate research project to bridge into more biochemistry-specific fields.
Mesler obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where he double majored in biochemistry and English literature. While there, Mesler worked under Dr. Lindsey Burcham’s research lab, where they investigated the role of Streptococcus agalactiae in adverse infection-induced pregnancy outcomes, as well as the overall dynamics of the vaginal microbiome. His particular project sought to uncover the enzymatic mechanisms through which S. agalactiae detoxifies reactive oxygen species, and this project has earned him a variety of both institutional and regional awards. From this project, Mesler was able to solidify his research interests in protein biochemistry and cell signaling pathways.
Mesler’s first laboratory experience with St. Jude came from the Summer 2025 cohort of the Pediatric Oncology Education (POE) program, where he worked under Dr. Jason Rosch’s research lab to investigate a particular protein-driven interaction between Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. He is thrilled to return to the research hospital through the St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, where he is enrolled in the PhD in Biomedical Sciences program.
Excited for years of intellectual and scientific development ahead of him, Mesler is extremely grateful for the St. Jude Graduate School for this opportunity. He looks forward to both working alongside such accomplished peers and deepening his own scientific knowledge in the vast field of cancer biology. Mesler would lastly like to deeply thank all of the friends and family that helped get him to where he is today.
Being from Memphis, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has always been Mesler's North Star, making it a dream of his to join the phenomenal people who keep its mission alive. For Mesler, their commitment to treating various pediatric diseases to the novel discoveries coming from their accelerated research teams establishes St. Jude as one of the gold standards of achievement. By joining the Biomedical Sciences PhD program, he is thrilled to grow exponentially as a scientist under the St. Jude Graduate School and is looking forward to all of the unique training this program has to offer.
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Education:
2026 BASc, Biochemistry and English Literature, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Awards/Honors/Scholarships:
2026 Summa Cum Laude, University of Tennessee
2026 First Place Undergraduate Poster Presentation, American Society for Microbiology Kentucky/Tennessee Branch Spring 2026 Meeting
2026 University of Tennessee Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Symposium (ASUReS), First Place Overall, University of Tennessee
2026 Achievement Award in the College of Arts & Sciences, Natural Sciences division, University of Tennessee
2026 Hallowed Hill Award for Promoting Academic Success, University of Tennessee
2025 “Molecules and Medicine: Advances in Biological Sciences” Winner, University of Tennessee
2025 Accelerating Undergraduate Research Award Spring recipient, University of Tennessee
2025 Hallowed Hill Award for Promoting Academic Success, University of Tennessee