Paul Blainey

Paul Blainey is a Professor of Biological Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a core member of the Broad Institute. His research focuses on developing and applying molecular, optical, and microfluidic technologies to address challenges in single-cell genomics, drug screening, and functional genomics. Blainey completed his undergraduate studies in Mathematics and Chemistry at the University of Washington, earned a Master's in Chemistry from Harvard University, and conducted doctoral research in Physical Chemistry under Professors Xiaoliang Sunney Xie and Gregory Verdine at Harvard. He further refined his expertise in high-throughput microfluidic methods during a postdoctoral appointment at Stanford University with Stephen Quake before joining MIT in 2012.

His research integrates cutting-edge tools to study biological systems at single-cell and single-molecule scales, emphasizing quantitative approaches to reveal system-level biological mechanisms. Key areas include antibiotic resistance, CRISPR-based diagnostics, and the role of microbiota in disease. The Blainey Lab collaborates widely, leveraging interdisciplinary approaches to tackle problems in medicine and biology.

Recent work highlights include large-scale drug combination screens targeting antibiotic-resistant pathogens, functional characterization of immune signaling pathways (e.g., STING), and novel methods for live-cell transcriptomics. These efforts aim to advance both foundational science and translational applications in diagnostics and therapy.

Blainey's team has trained numerous students and postdocs, many of whom now lead research groups or hold key industry roles. His contributions have been recognized through his leadership in the MIT and Broad communities, though no specific awards are explicitly listed.