Jackson White

I am currently a DPhil student within the United States National Institutes of Health Oxford-Cambridge (NIH-OxCam) scholars program. At the NIH, I am advised by Dr. Brant Weinstein, who leads a zebrafish vessel development laboratory. At Oxford, I am guided by Dr. Ellie Tzima and Dr. John Reader, both of whom lead a cardiovascular, mechanobiology, and translation focused group. Leaning on their expertise, I hope to elucidate novel behaviors of eIF6, a translation initiation factor, in vascular endothelium using loss of function cellular and animal models.  

Before joining the NIH-OxCam program, I attended James Madison University, where I was awarded a bachelors of science in biophysical chemistry, and spent time investigating the effect of giant cytoskeletal proteins on cellular mechanosensation. Upon graduation, I worked as a research associate in the Proteomics Platform at The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. There, I contributed to the lab’s technology development efforts and the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium, an U.S. National Institute of Cancer initiative aimed at multi-omic characterization of rare and common cancer types. 

Outside of the lab, I am passionate about biomedical science policy. As a hemophiliac, I have benefited greatly from the fruit of the scientific enterprise. Also as a scientist in training, I’ve been given the opportunity and resources to expand and connect our understanding of not just diseases but their connection with the patient experience. During my undergraduate studies and time as a research associate, I’ve met with policy makers on issues surrounding biomedical science policy such as scientific funding, regulation, and immigration. Throughout my graduate school tenure, I plan to continue engaging in these forms of outreach through national and state patient advocacy groups as well as scientific societies.  

Within my recreational time, I am routinely found singing and playing guitar, enjoying exceptionally hoppy beer, and avoiding sharks and stingrays on a paddleboard.