John Cooper, MD, PhD

John A. Cooper, MD, PhD, is the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics and Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology at Washington University School of Medicine. His laboratory performs basic science research aimed on understanding how cells move and change their shape, using a combination of approaches within genetics, cell biology and biochemistry. Cell shape and movement are based on the cytoskeleton, including components such as actin, microtubules, and septins. Cell motility has broad relevance to many aspects of physiologic and pathologic processes, including the movements of cancer and immune cells. The research of his laboratory research has been funded primarily by grants from NIH. He served as head of the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics for a time. He has helped to teach courses in molecular cell biology to graduate and medical students, and he has served as the primary research mentor for a number of PhD, MD/PhD, and postdoctoral trainees. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB), and he is a member of the Academic Women’s Network at Washington University.