Lisa Bouchier-Hayes

Lisa Bouchier-Hayes, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in Pediatrics (Hematology-Oncology) and holds additional roles as Assistant Professor in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. She is also a Staff Scientist in Immunology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Her research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis and non-apoptotic functions of caspases, particularly in cancer and inflammation. She leads the Bouchier-Hayes Lab, which pioneered fluorescence complementation techniques (Caspase BiFC) to study caspase activation dynamics.

Education: B.A. and Ph.D. from Trinity College Dublin (1998–2002), followed by postdoctoral training at the La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Research interests include caspase regulation in cancer suppression, DNA damage responses, and inflammasome activation in inflammatory diseases. Her lab uses advanced imaging methods to analyze caspase pathways in single cells.

Key projects include investigating caspase-2's tumor suppressor role via nucleolar signaling complexes and dissecting inflammatory caspase activation mechanisms. Supported by NIH grants, her work bridges apoptosis biology with translational medicine. Lab members include postdoctoral associates, graduate students, and fellows.

Publications highlight studies in J Immunol, Cell Death Differ, and Molecular Cell, focusing on caspase signaling, inflammasomes, and cancer biology. Her techniques enable real-time analysis of caspase activation, advancing understanding of cell death pathways in health and disease.