John R. Jimah

John R. Jimah

Position
Assistant Professor
Title
James A. Elkins, Jr. '41 Preceptor in Molecular Biology

John R. Jimah

Position
Assistant Professor
Title
James A. Elkins, Jr. '41 Preceptor in Molecular Biology
About
Bio/Description

John Jimah started as an Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University in January 2022. His laboratory investigates the molecular mechanism of membrane remodeling processes in human cells and malaria parasites primarily using structural biology (cryo-electron microscopy and tomography), cell biology, biochemical, and biophysical approaches. John grew up in Ghana and moved to the United States to attend college. He earned his B.A. in Molecular Biology from Colgate University. He received his Ph.D. in Biology and Biomedical Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis, in the lab of Dr. Niraj H. Tolia, as a fellow of the Chancellor’s Graduate Fellowship Program. There, he discovered the mechanism of the malaria vaccine candidate CelTOS in forming pores in human and mosquito cells to allow parasite traversal and propagation. Having developed an interest in membrane remodeling processes, he joined the laboratory of Dr. Jenny E. Hinshaw at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH. He was a Nancy Nossal fellow and member of the first class of NIGMS MOSAIC scholars. His postdoctoral studies focused on the membrane architecture of human cells and pathogens, elucidating the mechanisms of (1) dynamin-actin interaction during cell-cell fusion, (2) dynamin-mediated membrane fission during endocytosis, and (3) bacterial outer membrane protein folding. Outside of work, John enjoys biking on trails, eating food from around the world, and soccer.