Ankur Jain

Ankur Jain is the Thomas D. and Virginia M. Cabot Career Development Professor at MIT and a Core Member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. His research focuses on understanding the self-organization of biomolecules, particularly RNA granules and membrane-free cellular compartments, and their roles in disease. He holds a PhD from the University of Illinois (2013) and a BTech in Biotechnology from IIT Kharagpur (2007).

His lab develops innovative biochemical and biophysical tools to study phase separation, RNA dynamics, and cellular dysfunction in disorders like neurodegeneration. Key interests include RNA phase transitions, polyamine signaling, and repeat expansion disorders.

• Awards: Pew Scholar (2022), NIH K99/R00 Award (2017), Young Alumni Achiever (2019)
• Lab Focus: RNA biology, condensates, neurodegenerative mechanisms

Recent work highlights breakthroughs in RNA accessibility mapping, programmable nucleic acid coacervates, and mechanistic insights into CAG repeat disorders. His research bridges basic biology with translational applications in disease modeling.