James R. Priess

Jim received his PhD from the University of Colorado-Boulder. In the lab of David Hirsh, he characterized the role of the cytoskeleton during C. elegans elongation. As a postdoctoral fellow at the Medical Research Council, Cambridge, Jim identified cell-cell interactions that were important for the specification of anterior pharyngeal muscles. While at Boulder, Jim had conceived a new type of genetic screen to isolate maternal-effect lethal mutations. Using this screen, he identified glp-1, a Notch homolog, as a critical mediator of several early cell-cell interactions.

In 1988, Jim joined the faculty of the Division of Basic Sciences at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in Seattle. Since 1994, he has been an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. More information on research in his lab may be found here.