Joseph L. Goldstein

Joseph L. Goldstein is the Chairman of the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He holds the Paul J. Thomas Chair in Medicine and the Julie and Louis A. Beecherl Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Science. Alongside Michael S. Brown, he discovered the LDL receptor and elucidated cholesterol homeostasis mechanisms, foundational to statin development. Their work earned a Nobel Prize (1985), Lasker Award (1985), and National Medal of Science (1988). Recent research focuses on the SREBP transcription factor family and regulated intramembrane proteolysis. Goldstein is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences and a Foreign Member of the Royal Society. He chairs the Albert Lasker Medical Research Awards Jury and serves on multiple scientific advisory boards, including the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Rockefeller University.

His educational background includes training at Southwestern Medical College and postdoctoral work at NIH with Marshall Nirenberg. Goldstein's research integrates molecular genetics, lipid biology, and cardiovascular disease, emphasizing receptor-mediated endocytosis and genetic disorders like familial hypercholesterolemia. Major honors include the Albany Medical Center Prize (2003) for SREBP discoveries. His talks, such as the 2023 New Faculty Research Forum presentation, highlight mentorship and scientific collaboration.

Goldstein's lab investigates cholesterol metabolism at the cellular and molecular levels, with key contributions to understanding LDL receptor function, SREBP signaling, and lysosomal cholesterol export. His work bridges basic science and clinical applications, impacting drug development and metabolic disease therapies.