Andrew Kleist, MD, PhD, was named to the 2025 class of STAT Wunderkinds, an honor for scientists making significant contributions in their research field.
Andrew Kleist, MD, PhD, has been named a 2025 Wunderkind by STAT, the influential health, medicine and life sciences publication. Kleist is a lead computational research scientist in the Center of Excellence for Data Driven Discovery, Department of Structural Biology, at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He works in the laboratory of M. Madan Babu, PhD, FRS, senior vice president of Data Science, chief data scientist, Center of Excellence for Data-Driven Discovery director, and Department of Structural Biology member.
“It’s an honor to be recognized for this award and to be named among this group of up-and-coming leaders in the biomedical research field,” Kleist said. “I’m particularly indebted to my mentors, including Dr. Babu, who helped shape me as a scientist. Being recognized for this award is a testament to all of the mentorship and support I’ve received throughout my career.”
Each year, the STAT Wunderkind awards highlight the research of early-career scientists and clinicians making breakthrough discoveries in health, medicine and science. Other Wunderkinds from St. Jude include Daniel Blair, PhD, a member of the Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, who was named to the list in 2022.
“Since joining our department, Andrew has made significant contributions to our understanding of influenza virus proteins and the chemokine receptor system, which governs cell movement and migration,” Babu said. “His research is providing new avenues to combat infectious diseases, develop new medicines and improve existing cell therapies.”
Kleist joined St. Jude in April 2025 and focuses his research on molecular-scale events and understanding the behavior of proteins by examining their 3-D structures. His current projects include researching mutations in influenza proteins and the impact on pathogenicity; how aberrant signaling through cell-surface receptors can lead to cancer progression; and how genetic-level variants affect protein structures and lead to human disease. His research has been featured in Cell, Science and Nature Genetics.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats, and cures childhood catastrophic diseases. As the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children, St. Jude advances groundbreaking research and shares its discoveries worldwide to accelerate progress in pediatric medicine. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped increase overall childhood cancer survival rates from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened more than 60 years ago. Through collaboration and innovation, St. Jude is working to ensure that children everywhere have access to the best possible care. To learn more, visit stjude.org, read St. Jude Progress, a digital magazine, and follow St. Jude on social media at @stjuderesearch.