About J. Paul Taylor
Dr. J. Paul Taylor is a pioneer in the field of biomolecular phase transitions and their roles in both normal cell biology and disease. He currently serves as Chair of the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, HHMI Investigator, and Director of the Pediatric Translational Neuroscience Initiative. As a physician scientist with a background in neurogenetics, Dr. Taylor guides collaborative, interdisciplinary research teams with interests spanning biophysics, biochemistry and cell biology. He is the recipient of numerous distinguished awards, including the 2020 Normal Saunders International Research Prize and the 2020 Potamkin Prize.
Meet the Team
J. Paul Taylor, MD, PhD
Principal Investigator
- Member, St. Jude Faculty
- Executive Vice President
- Scientific Director
- Chair, Cell and Molecular Biology
- Director, St. Jude Pediatric Translational Neuroscience Initiative
- Edward F. Barry Endowed Chair in Cell and Molecular Biology
- Jessica Burkhart
- Researcher
- Jemma Clary
- Researcher
- Brian Freibaum, PhD
- Sr. Scientist
- Michael Hughes, PhD
- Postdoctoral Research Associate
- Hong Joo Kim, PhD
- Lead Scientist-Directing
- Katy Koreski, PhD
- Postdoctoral Research Associate
- Ane Korff, PhD
- Sr. Scientist
- Jennifer Maglisco
- Director, Research Operations
- Brian Maxwell, PhD
- Scientist
- Natalia Nedelsky, PhD
- Science Research Writer
- Ozan Ozdemir, DVM
- Sr. Researcher
- Monique Payton
- Research Operations Manager
- Saundarya Prithweeraj
- Sr. Researcher
- Michael Wang, PhD
- Senior Bioinformatics Research Scientist
- Jinjun Wu, PhD
- Postdoctoral Research Associate
- Xiaojing Yang
- Sr. Researcher
- Zemin Yang, PhD
- Postdoctoral Research Associate
- Ugur Yurtsever, PhD
- Postdoctoral Research Associate
Lab Alumni
Nael Alami, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2010 - 2014
- Post-lab experience: Provost, Modern University for Business and Science, Beirut, Lebanon
Nisha Badders, PhD
- Role: Research Lab Specialist
- Tenure: 2009 - 2016
- Post-lab experience: Senior Scientific/Medical Editor, Mayo Clinic
Stephanie (Schwartz) Ciosek, MPH
- Role: Lab Manager
- Tenure: 2004 - 2008
- Post-lab experience: Science Analyst, Office of Portfolio Analysis, NIH
Alison Clare, PhD
- Role: Undergraduate student, University of Bath
- Tenure: 2010 - 2011
- Post-lab experience: Research Associate, University of Bristol, UK
Maura Coughlin
- Role: Senior Research Technologist
- Tenure: 2014 - 2021
- Post-lab experience: Technology Transfer Associate, Addgene
Sara Custer, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2007 - 2010
- Post-lab experience: Assistant Research Professor, Department of Dermatology, Indiana University
Victoria Dardov, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2019 - 2021
- Post-lab experience: Scientific Director, Technome
Rachayata Dharmat
- Role: HHMI Researcher
- Tenure: 2019-2023
- Post-lab experience: Director, Laboratory Operations, Center for Pediatric Neurological Disease Research, SJCRH
Baochang Fan, PhD
- Role: Research Lab Specialist
- Tenure: 2016 - 2019
- Post-lab experience: Senior Scientist II, Process Development, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Jake Guinto, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2006 - 2007
- Post-lab experience: Insights Strategist, Veeva Systems
Youngdae Gwon, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2018 - 2022
- Post-lab experience: Assistant Professor, Sungkyunkwan University, Korea
Jenny Higgs, MD, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2013
- Post-lab experience: Consulting Physician, Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, UK
Jessie Hughes
- Role: Researcher
- Tenure: 2018-2022
- Post-lab experience: Licensing Assistant, Technology Licensing, SJCRH
Nam Chul Kim, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2011 - 2017
- Post-lab experience: Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota
Regina Kolaitis, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2011 - 2017
- Post-lab experience: Senior Project Leader, Liaison Office, St Jude Children's Research Hospital
Kyung-Ha Lee, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2014 - 2016
- Post-lab experience: Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Biology, Pusan National University, Korea
Songqing Li, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2011 - 2014
- Post-lab experience: Laboratory Director, IVFMD Texas
Isaac Lopez, MD, PhD
- Role: St. Jude POE
- Tenure: 2013
- Post-lab experience: Hospitalist, The Alaska Hospitalist Group
Cecile Mathieu, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2017 - 2021
- Post-lab experience: Scientist II, Faze Medicines
Brett McCray, MD, PhD
- Role: Graduate student
- Tenure: 2005 - 2009
- Post-lab experience: Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins Medical School
James Messing
- Role: HHMI Researcher
- Tenure: 2015-2023
- Post-lab experience: Imaging specialist, CMB/CPNDR Microscopy Core, SJCRH
Amandine Molliex, PhD
- Role: Graduate student
- Tenure: 2011 - 2016
- Post-lab experience: Research Scientist, Synsight, Evry, France
Jennifer Moore
- Role: Lab Supervisor
- Tenure: 2008 - 2018
- Post-lab experience: Scientist, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Haruko Nakamura, MD, PhD
- Role: Medical fellow
- Tenure: 2019 - 2022
- Post-lab experience: Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Yokohama City University Hospital
Kevin O'Donovan
- Role: Senior Researcher
- Tenure: 2017 - 2022
- Post-lab experience: Consultant, Guidehouse
Udai Pandey, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2004 - 2009
- Post-lab experience: Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh
Maria Pennuto, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2008 - 2009
- Post-lab experience: Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Italy
Aaron Poole
- Role: Research Technologist
- Tenure: 2009 - 2014
- Post-lab experience: Supervisor, Animal Services, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Maria Purice, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2017 - 2018
- Post-lab experience: Postdoctoral fellow, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Emmanuelle Quemin, PhD
- Role: Undergraduate researcher, Univ Paris VII
- Tenure: 2011
- Post-lab experience: Group Leader, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Paris, France
Mohona Sarkar, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2015 - 2018
- Post-lab experience: Scientist, KBI Biopharma
Rebecca Smith, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2009 - 2013
- Post-lab experience: Laboratory Director, Genetics Associates, Nashville TN
Jama Temirov
- Role: Director, Laboratory Operations, Cell and Molecular Biology
- Tenure: 2016-2021
- Post-lab experience: Automation Engineering Manager, Recursion
Peter Todd, MD, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2005 - 2008
- Post-lab experience: Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Michigan
Emilie Tresse, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2009 - 2011
- Post-lab experience: Assistant Professor, BriC, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Gillian (Ritson) Turnbull, PhD
- Role: Graduate student
- Tenure: 2005 - 2010
- Post-lab experience: Clinical Project Manager, Hammersmith Medicines Research, London, UK.
Yasmine Valentin-Vega, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2011 - 2015
- Post-lab experience: Director of Administration and Scientific Operations, St Jude Children's Research Hospital
Brett Winborn, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2008 - 2016
- Post-lab experience: Patent Attorney, Sheridan Ross PC, Denver CO
Fen Yang
- Role: Sr. Researcher
- Tenure: 2017-2022
- Post-lab experience: Master Student, University of Memphis
Peiguo Yang, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2015 - 2018
- Post-lab experience: Assistant Professor, Westlake University (Hangzhou, China)
Peipei Zhang, PhD
- Role: Postdoctoral fellow
- Tenure: 2014 - 2021
- Post-lab experience: Assistant Professor, Peking University Health Science Center (Beijing, China)