Alexandra Joyner

Alexandra Joyner, PhD, holds the Courtney Steel Chair in Pediatric Cancer Research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). She leads the Joyner Lab within the Developmental Biology Program, focusing on understanding how genes regulate cell behaviors in brain development, cancer, and tissue repair. Her work integrates mouse genetics to explore cerebellar circuit formation and its disruption in diseases like cancer.

Dr. Joyner earned her PhD from the University of Toronto. Her research spans developmental neuroscience, stem cell biology, and oncology, emphasizing the interplay between cell-cell communication and genetic programs in organogenesis. Notable affiliations include the Center for Stem Cell Biology and the Brain Tumor Center at MSKCC.

• Key Research Areas: Cerebellum development, Hedgehog signaling, tumor progression, and regenerative mechanisms
• Awards: Member of the National Academy of Medicine (2009), AAAS Fellow (2007), and recipient of the International Society for Transgenic Technology Prize (2020)
• Grants: NIMH MERIT Investigator award (2014-2023)

Her lab investigates how progenitor cells adapt to injury, particularly in the neonatal cerebellum, revealing mechanisms of glial-neural reprogramming. Trainees include graduate students Anjana Krishnamurthy and Andrew S. Lee, alongside postdoctoral researchers like Salsabiel El Nagar.