Ross Jones

Ross Jones

Ross Jones is a postdoctoral fellow in Peter Zandstra's Stem Cell Bioengineering Lab at the University of British Columbia (UBC). His research focuses on applying principles from synthetic biology and control theory to program the development of pluripotent stem cells into immune cells in vitro.13

Education and Experience

• Completed his Bachelor's degree in Bioengineering at the University of Washington, where he worked in the labs of Narendra P. Singh and Hannele Ruohola-Baker.3
• Earned his PhD at MIT, working under Professors Ron Weiss and Domitilla Del Vecchio. His thesis work studied how competition for transcriptional 'resources' affects gene expression in mammalian cells and applied control theory principles to improve genetic circuit performance.13
• Previously worked as a Summer Camp Assistant at the University of Washington, Undergraduate Researcher at the University of Washington, Mechanic's Assistant at Seattle Pump & Equipment Co., Retail Sales Associate at Nike, and Kitchen Worker at Chi Omega Sorority.2

Awards and Honors

• Received Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mention from the National Science Foundation in April 2014.2
• Was an Amgen Scholar at the University of Washington in March 2013.2
• Received the Mary Gates Research Endowment from the Gates Foundation & University of Washington in December 2012.2

Current Work

As a postdoctoral fellow at UBC, Ross is working to bring synthetic biology and control systems to stem cells and development in the Stem Cell Bioengineering Lab under Peter Zandstra.123 His research interests include systems and synthetic biology, control theory, and cell-based therapies, with applications primarily in cancer and development.2