Jeffrey Alan Nickerson

Jeffrey Alan Nickerson is an Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School within the T.H. Chan School of Medicine and the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology. His research focuses on nuclear architecture, RNA metabolism, and chromatin remodeling in human cells, particularly their roles in breast cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

Education:

• BS in Psychology & Biochemistry from Michigan State University
• PhD in Biochemistry from Michigan State University (1985)

Research Interests: Dr. Nickerson investigates how PI3 kinase/AKT signaling regulates mRNA export through dynamic nuclear complexes (TREX and EJC). His lab also studies chromatin remodeling enzymes like BRG1 and BRM in breast cancer progression, showing their role in nuclear shape changes and metabolic reprogramming. A major hypothesis explores long non-coding RNAs as structural components maintaining nuclear architecture.

Selected Publications reveal expertise in nuclear matrix organization, RNA processing, and cancer epigenetics, with collaborations spanning neurodegeneration (ALS models), immunotherapy biomarkers, and 3D cell culture systems.

Labs & Facilities: He directs the Cell Biology Confocal Core for Three-Dimensional Microscopy, advancing live-cell imaging and nuclear structure analysis.