Justin McDonough

Justin McDonough, PhD, has a diverse work experience in the field of biological research. Justin started their career as an undergraduate researcher at James Madison University, where they focused on identifying and tracking source pollution in contaminated watersheds.

After completing their undergraduate degree, Justin served as a Research Assistant at Yale University School of Medicine, where they identified a gene contributing to hyphal formation and virulence in the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans.

Justin then pursued their graduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where they conducted extensive research on the Twin-arginine translocation pathway in the human bacterial pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Justin'sresearch involved genetic selections and mutagenesis to identify Tat-exported proteins and characterize their roles in virulence and antibiotic resistance.

Following their graduation, Justin continued their research career at Yale University School of Medicine as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. During this time, they designed and implemented a high-throughput screening platform to identify host cell factors required for intracellular bacterial infection. Justin also discovered novel host membrane transport pathways modulated by the bacterial pathogen Coxiella burnetii and received an NIH Postdoctoral Research Fellowship award.

More recently, Justin joined The Jackson Laboratory as a Scientist, specializing in genome editing techniques. Justin eventually transitioned to the role of Associate Director, Cellular Engineering, where they continue to contribute to cutting-edge research in this field.

Overall, Justin McDonough, PhD, has a strong background in molecular biology, genetics, and cellular engineering, and has made significant contributions to the understanding of host-pathogen interactions and bacterial virulence.

Justin McDonough, PhD completed their education in Microbiology & Immunology with a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine from 2001 to 2007. Prior to that, they obtained a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biology from James Madison University, where they studied from 1996 to 2000. Justin'ssecondary education was completed at Amity Regional Senior High School, where they obtained a diploma between 1993 and 1996. Additionally, they hold a certification in Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory for M. tuberculosis, obtained from Dr. Miriam Braunstein at the University of North Carolina.