About
Jonathon (Joe) Howard is the Eugene Higgins Professor of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry and Professor of Physics at Yale University, with affiliations in the Quantitative Biology Institute. His research focuses on motor proteins, cytoskeletal mechanics, and cilia/flagellar motility. He holds dual appointments in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry and Physics, and is part of 10+ interdisciplinary programs at Yale.
Education: BSc (Hon) in Mathematics (Australian National University, 1979), PhD in Neurobiology (ANU, 1983), postdoctoral training at University of Bristol and UCSF. Previously held positions at University of Washington and as founding Director of the Max Planck Institute in Dresden before joining Yale in 2013.
Research interests include microtubule dynamics (severing enzymes, defect repair), neuronal dendrite morphogenesis, and ciliary/flagellar motility coordination. Techniques involve single-molecule imaging, cryo-EM, and genetic perturbations in model organisms like Drosophila and Chlamydomonas.
Recent publications highlight studies on dendritic branching topology, microtubule shrinkage kinetics, and ciliary mechanosensing mechanisms. His work bridges biophysics with cell biology, emphasizing quantitative approaches to biological systems.
- Awards: NIH Pioneer Award (2015), Biophysical Society Fellowship (2016), Max Planck External Membership
- Lab: Howard Lab at Yale, focusing on motor proteins, cytoskeleton, and cellular biomechanics
