St. Jude Research

Taylor Lab Team

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.

J. Paul Taylor Bio
J. Paull Taylor speaking at a podium

Meet the Team

J. Paul Taylor, MD, PhD
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
  • Jessica Burkhart
  • Researcher
Brian Freibaum, PhD
  • Brian Freibaum, PhD
  • Sr. Scientist
Michael Hughes, PhD
  • Michael Hughes, PhD
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate
Hong Joo Kim, PhD
  • Hong Joo Kim, PhD
  • Lead Scientist-Directing
Katy Koreski, PhD
  • Katy Koreski, PhD
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate
Ane Korff, PhD
  • Ane Korff, PhD
  • Sr. Scientist
Jennifer Maglisco
  • Jennifer Maglisco
  • Director, Research Operations
Brian Maxwell, PhD
  • Brian Maxwell, PhD
  • Scientist
Natalia Nedelsky, PhD
  • Natalia Nedelsky, PhD
  • Science Research Writer
Ozan Ozdemir, DVM
  • Ozan Ozdemir, DVM
  • Sr. Researcher
Monique Payton
  • Monique Payton
  • Research Operations Manager
Saundarya Prithweeraj
  • Saundarya Prithweeraj
  • Sr. Researcher
Ananya Samanta, PhD
  • Ananya Samanta, PhD
  • Senior Researcher
Moin Talukder
  • Moin Talukder
  • Researcher
Michael Wang, PhD
  • Michael Wang, PhD
  • Senior Bioinformatics Research Scientist
Jinjun Wu, PhD
  • Jinjun Wu, PhD
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate
Xiaojing Yang
  • Xiaojing Yang
  • Manager, Lab Operations
Zemin Yang, PhD
  • Zemin Yang, PhD
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate
Ugur Yurtsever, PhD
  • 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

Jemma Clary

  • Role: Researcher
  • Tenure: 20221-2024
  • Post-lab experience: Graduate Student, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

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, PhD

  • Role: Postdoctoral fellow
  • 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)