Jason Shepherd, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Email | 801-585-6214

Jason Shepherd is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurobiology and holds the Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Chair at the University of Utah. He obtained his BSc (Hons) at the University of Otago, his Ph.D. at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and postdoctoral training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the recipient of the Peter and Patricia Gruber International Research Award in Neuroscience, the International Society for Neurochemistry Young Investigator Award, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Ben Barres Early Career Acceleration Award, the Research to Prevent Blindness Stein Innovation Award, the NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award, and is a National Academy of Sciences Kavli Fellow. Born in South Africa and raised in New Zealand, Dr. Shepherd enjoys the outdoors and Utah’s natural beauty.

 

A Word from Jason

There’s nothing like the thrill of discovering something new in science, something that no one had previously observed! My main goal as a PI is to create an environment that allows a diverse group of scientists to work together on projects that will help them achieve their career goals and that leads to impactful science.

Mentoring philosophy

Trainees in the lab learn the necessary skills to thrive in their future careers, including the fundamental skills of communication (writing and oral), data analysis, and working in a team environment. I tailor my mentorship to the individual, based on their future career goals and particular strengths/weaknesses. I believe intentional mentorship is key to the success of trainees and subsequently for the success of the lab's research program. I also take the approach that “once a mentor, always a mentor”, and see mentorship as a life-long role.

My role as mentor and PI is to enable lab members to carry out their projects. Each lab member works on their own project, where intellectual ownership and investment is key. They choose the main questions they would like to pursue; we then design the studies together. Their project is also embedded into a larger framework within the lab, which encourages teamwork. Since the lab works across multiple domains of analysis and methodologies, no person can be an expert in everything. Thus, projects move forward in collaboration and lab members mentor each other.

More about Jason Shepherd

 

  • January 2019 – Present. Associate Professor with Tenure, Department of Neurobiology.

    January 2013 – Present. Assistant Professor, Department of Neurobiology. The University of Utah, School of Medicine. Salt Lake City, UT. USA.

    April 2011 – December 2012. Postdoctoral Fellow (K99 award). The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge, MA. USA.

    June 2007- April 2011. Howard Hughes Medical Institute Postdoctoral Fellow. The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge, MA. USA.

  • Jan 2003 – May 2007. Cellular and Molecular Medicine Graduate Program (Ph.D). The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Baltimore, MD. USA.

    Jan-Oct 2002. One year in the Neurobiology and Behavior Graduate Program as an Exchange Abroad Scholar (counted towards undergraduate degree) University of California, Irvine. Irvine, CA. USA.

    1999 – 2002. Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in Neuroscience. University of Otago. Dunedin, New Zealand.

    1998. American Field Scholar (AFS) Intercultural Exchange in Switzerland, Kantonschule Trogen. Trogen, Appenzellerland. Switzerland

  • Research to Prevent Blindness Stein Innovation Award, 2020.

    NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award, 2019

    53rd International Achievement Summit – Delegate, 2019

    Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Endowed Chair, University of Utah, 2019

    Chan Zuckerberg Initiative – Ben Barres Early Career Acceleration Award, 2018

    Alzheimer’s Association Research Grant Award, 2018

    NIH Collaborative Development Award: Center for the Structural Biology of Cellular Host Elements in Egress, Trafficking and Assembly of HIV (CHEETAH), 2017

    Kavli Fellow. Frontiers in Science, National Academy of Sciences, 2016

    E. Matilda Ziegler Foundation for the Blind, Young Investigator Award, 2016

    Angelman Syndrome Foundation Research Grant, 2013

    NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00) from NINDS, April 2011.

    International Society for Neurochemistry Young Investigator Award, 2011.

    Peter and Patricia Gruber International Research Award in Neuroscience, 2010.

    Keystone NIH Symposia Scholarship, 2010.

    Swiss Society for Neuroscience FENS Travel Fellowship, 2008.

    Howard Hughes Medical Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2007.

    The Paul Erlich Young Investigator Award, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2006.

    Awarded Grass Foundation Fellowship in Neuroscience. Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole. Summer 2006.

    Glenn/AFAR Scholarship for Research in the Biology of Aging, 2003.

    Howard Hughes Predoctoral Fellowship, Honourable Mention, 2003.

    University of Otago Neuroscience Prize, 2002 – awarded for the top Honours research thesis in the undergraduate neuroscience program.

    University of Otago Science Honours Scholarship, 2002 – awarded to the top ten Honours theses in the Division of Science.

    Exchange Abroad Scholarship, University of Otago/University of California Irvine, 2002.

    Summer Research Fellowship, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, 2001.

    Summer Research Scholarship, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, 2000.

  • July 2007- December 2012. Postdoctoral Research. Laboratory of Dr Mark Bear. Investigating the in vivo role of Arc in visual cortex plasticity. The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge, MA.

    Summer 2009. Imaging Structure and Function in the Nervous System course. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY.

    Summer 2006. Independent Research, Marine Biological Laboratory. The role of BCL-2 family proteins and mitochondrial function in post-synaptic transmission and plasticity. In collaboration with Elizabeth Jonas and Len Kaczmarek (Yale University). Woods Hole, MA.

    Jan 2003 – May 2007. Doctoral Research. Laboratories of Dr Richard Huganir and Dr. Paul Worley. Investigation into the physiological function of the immediate early gene Arc and its role in AMPA receptor trafficking and synaptic dysfunction. Department of Neuroscience. Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Baltimore, MD.

    March-Oct 2002. Undergraduate Honours Thesis Research. Laboratory of Dr. Frank Laferla. Synaptic plasticity in novel transgenic models of neurodegeneration. Department of Neurobiology and behavior, University of California. Irvine, CA.

    Jan-March 2002. Undergraduate Research Assistant. Laboratory of Dr. Oswald Steward. Cloning of the Dendrin 3’ UTR region for mRNA localization studies in neurons. Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California. Irvine, CA.

    Nov-Dec 2001. Undergraduate Summer Research Scholarship. Laboratory of Dr. Ryszard Maleszka. RNA interference in cultured honeybee neurons. Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University. Canberra, Australia.

    Nov 2000 – Feb 2001. Undergraduate Summer Research Scholarship. Laboratory of Dr. Garth Cooper. New therapies for Diabetic cardiomyopathy in streptozotocin rats. School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland. Auckland, New Zealand.

    March- August 2000. Undergraduate Research Assistant. Laboratory of Dr Mike Colombo. The involvement of the hippocampus in visual contextual memory in pigeons. Department of Psychology, University of Otago. Dunedin, New Zealand.

  • CSHL Retrovirus Meeting, 2018.

    Keystone Symposium: Exosomes/Microvesicles: Heterogeneity, Biogenesis, Function and Therapeutic Developments, 2018.

    EMBO Meeting: Dendritic anatomy, molecules and function. Heraklion, Greece, 2018.

    Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics student invited seminar, Loyola University Chicago, 2018.

    Neuroscience program student invited seminar, University of Wyoming, 2018.

    Janelia Research Campus, Systems Neuroscience Seminar Series, 2018.

    CPIN Emerging Leaders in Neuroscience Lecture, University of Toronto, 2018.

    Brandeis University, Department of Biology, 2017.

    Panel Chair, Winter Conference on Brain Research, Big Sky Resort, 2017.

    University of Massachusetts Medical School, Department of Neurobiology, 2017.

    Gordon Research Conference, Excitatory Synapses and Brain Function – Switzerland, 2017.

    The Angleman Syndrome Foundation Annual Conference – Phoenix, 2017.

    Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California – Irvine, 2016.

    National Academy of Sciences – Kavli Frontiers in Science Symposium, Newport CA, 2016.

    Stanford University, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, 2016.

    Gordon Research Conference on Synaptic Transmission, August 2016.

    University of Colorado Medical School, Department of Pharmacology Seminar Series. February, 2016.

    Keynote Speaker: The Cellular and Molecular Medicine Graduate Program Retreat, Johns Hopkins University. October, 2015.

    The Long and Winding Road: Neuronal Trafficking in Physiology and Disease. HHMI conference, Janelia Farms. May, 2015.

    Panel Chair, Winter Conference on Brain Research, Big Sky Resort. January 2015.

    Hospital for Sick Children, Neurosciences & Mental Health program.Toronto. July 2014.

    Keynote Speaker: University of Auckland, Centre for Brain Research Retreat. Oct 2013.

    University of Arizona, Evelyn McKnight Institute. Tucson, June 2013.

    Spring Hippocampus Meeting. Taormina, Italy. June 2013.

    University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Department of Psychiatry. February 2012.

    University of Utah, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy. Utah, January 2012.

    Rutgers University, Deparment of Cell Biology and Neuroscience. NJ, January 2012.

    Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience/NRI. Houston, November 2011.

    Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience. NY, October 2011.

    Florey Neuroscience Institute, Melbourne University. Melbourne, September 2011.

    ISN Young Lectureship, ISN-ESN Biennial Meeting. Athens, Greece. August 2011.

    University of Michigan, Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute. March 2011.

    Tufts University School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience. February 2011.

    Northwestern University, Department of Physiology. October 2010.

    Angelman Foundation Symposium, Chapel Hill. April, 2010.

    University of Auckland, School of Medicine seminar series. December, 2009.

    The Synaptic Basis of Disease Conference, Geneva. July 2008.

    Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience Seminar Series. April 2007.

    University of Maryland, Program in Cognitive Sciences Seminar Series. February 2007.

    Winter Conference in Neural Plasticity, Tahiti. February 2007.

    University of Cambridge, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, November 2006.

    The 16th Neuropharmacology Conference, Atlanta. USA . October 2006.

  • NEUSC 6040. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience. Lecturer. University of Utah, 2013 –

    NEUSC 6040: Course Director. 2015 –

    Course Instructor, Course 7.347 Advanced Seminar in the Cell Biology of the Synapse. MIT, 2009.

    Teaching Assistant: MCB 80 (Sanes and Lichtman) – The Neurobiology of Behavior, Harvard University, 2009.

    Teaching Assistant: Neuroscience for medical students (Lab and discussion groups), Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 2004-06.

  • Associate Editor: Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience

    Review Editor: Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience

    Journal Reviewer: Journal of Neurophysiology, Journal of Physiology, Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, Journal of Neuroscience, Frontiers in Neuroscience, Science Signaling, Translational Psychiatry, Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, Molecular Autism, Neural Plasticity, Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE), Journal of Clinical Investigation, Trends in Neuroscience, Neuron, eLife, Nature Neuroscience, Cell Reports, Nature Communications.

    Grant reviewer: Fragile X Research Foundation, Angelman Syndrome Foundation, Welcome Trust Foundation, The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development, The Florida Department of Public Health – Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program.

    Graduate admissions committee: University of Utah Neuroscience Graduate Program 2013 – 2016

    Director – Synapse Interesting Group, University of Utah

    Faculty search committee, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy – University of Utah 2013/14.

    Co-Chair, Faculty search committee, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy – University of Utah 2018.

    Organizer, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy Seminar Series, 2016 –

    Member of the Society for Neuroscience 2003 –

    Vice-President of MIT Rugby Football Club 2008 – 2012.

    USA Rugby certified referee

    REDDIT Science AMA Session, 2014.

    TEDxSaltLakeCity – Steering Committee Member. 2014 – 2017.

    Member of the American Society of Cell Biology 2018 –