Jemma Clary was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, where she spent considerable time working in her mom’s research lab. In 2018, Clary moved to Memphis to study biochemistry and molecular biology at Rhodes College. Her interest in St. Jude Children's Research Hospital began with her acceptance into the St. Jude Summer Plus Program where she joined the lab of Mark Hatley, MD, PhD, in the Department of Oncology. There she worked with Madeleine Bush, PhD, on a mutation in the pediatric muscle cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma. Though her fellowship was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, she continued to pursue research after graduating from Rhodes in 2022. Clary stayed in Memphis to join the lab of J. Paul Taylor, MD, PhD in the Cell and Molecular Biology department at St. Jude. While working under Hong Joo Kim, PhD, she discovered her passion for microscopy and enjoyed developing data analysis pipelines to study biomolecular condensates.
Working as a researcher after college solidified Clary’s decision to pursue a PhD in biomedical sciences. She found that the most fulfilling aspects of research included troubleshooting experiments and working alongside other researchers. She looks forward to applying the skills she gained in her years in research to her study of host-microbe interactions.
Hometown: Shreveport, LA
Publications:
Yang Z, Johnson BA, Meliopoulos VA, Ju X, Zhang P, Hughes MP, Wu J, Koreski KP, Clary JE, Chang TC, Wu G, Hixon J, Duffner J, Wong K, Lemieux R, Lokugamage KG, Alvarado RE, Crocquet-Valdes PA, Walker DH, Plante KS, Plante JA, Weaver SC, Kim HJ, Meyers R, Schultz-Cherry S, Ding Q, Menachery VD, Taylor JP. Interaction between host G3BP and viral nucleocapsid protein regulates SARS-CoV-2 replication and pathogenicity. Cell Rep Mar 26, 2024;43(3):113965. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113965. Epub 2024 Mar 15. PMID: 38492217; PMCID: PMC11044841.