James Woodgett

James (Jim) Woodgett
Born9 February 1960
Leicestershire, England
Occupation(s)Research Institute Director (2005-21) and Principal Investigator
Known forco-discoveries of the molecules PKB/Akt and SAPK/JNKs, and the functions of the GSK-3 genes.
SpouseCaroline
AwardsFellow of the Royal Society of Canada
Academic background
EducationBSc University of York, PhD University of Dundee
Doctoral advisorSir Philip Cohen
Other advisorsTony Hunter, Salk Institute
InfluencesLouis Siminovitch
Academic work
DisciplineMolecular Biology
Sub-disciplineMolecular Biology
InstitutionsLunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto
Notable ideasCharacterization of the biological role of protein kinases including GSK-3, protein kinase B/Akt and stress-activated protein kinases
Websitehttps://www.lunenfeld.ca/

James (Jim) Woodgett is a British-born biologist and the Principal Investigator of an active research laboratory at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System (formerly Mount Sinai Hospital), in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[1][2] He was the Koffler Director of Research at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute from November 2005 to January 2021.[3]

Woodgett's research spans the fields of Signal Transduction, Cancer Stem Cells, Diabetes, and Neurological Disorders.[4] He is known for his co-discoveries of the molecules PKB/Akt and SAPK/JNKs, which have central roles in the evolution of cancer.[5] Woodgett is also an authority on the functions of the GSK-3 genes, which play significant roles in insulin/diabetes and brain development/Alzheimer's disease, as well as bipolar disorder.[5]

Woodgett is a long-time advocate for increasing public support for science and medical research.[6][1][7][8] He is known for his science communication[9] and public science outreach,[2][10][11] as well as his support for Women in STEM[12] and early career researchers.[1]

Woodgett is frequently interviewed by journalists to provide commentary on questions of research relating to health matters, and also medical and science research funding and policy.[1][13][14][15][16]

  1. ^ a b c d Picard, André (26 September 2014). "Leading Canadian scientist's biggest challenge? Funding fatigue". The Globe and Mail (12 May 2018 ed.). Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b Woodgett, Jim (15 August 2019). "Opinion: Science is pure, but scientists are human". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Senior Administration | Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute". www.lunenfeld.ca. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Jim Woodgett – Google Scholar Citations". scholar.google.ca. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  5. ^ a b "The Gairdner Foundation Team". Gairdner Foundation. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  6. ^ Woodgett, Jim (19 July 2018). "Who needs science advice anyway? Governments, for one". The Conversation. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  7. ^ Rynor, Becky (26 September 2016). "Why Jim Woodgett wrote an open letter blasting CIHR reforms – and what comes next". University Affairs. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  8. ^ Woodgett, Jim (23 July 2018). "Doug Ford fired Ontario's chief scientist. Here's why that's a big deal". The Narwhal. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  9. ^ Woodgett, Jim (2014). "Burning platforms: friending social media's role in #scicomm". Trends in Cell Biology. 24 (10): 555–557. doi:10.1016/j.tcb.2014.08.002. PMID 25260836.
  10. ^ Schmunk, Rhianna (21 October 2017). "Discredited vaccine paper from UBC researchers highlights issue in retraction process, experts say". CBC News. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  11. ^ Hall, Joseph (23 April 2017). "How poor tobacco farmer Henrietta Lacks became a medical superstar after her death". Toronto Star. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  12. ^ Woodgett, Jim (4 April 2019). Role of Men in Promoting Equity in STEM Leadership. Annual Meeting of the Canadian Pain Society. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  13. ^ Beeby, Dean (7 December 2018). "Federal agency racks up big expenses after scientists reject web meetings". CBC News. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  14. ^ Owens, Brian (20 March 2019). "Canada budget overlooks basic research". Nature. 567 (7749): 443–444. Bibcode:2019Natur.567..443O. doi:10.1038/d41586-019-00852-0. PMID 30914809.
  15. ^ Owens, Brian (24 April 2019). "Why are Canada's scientists getting political?". Nature. 568 (7753): S1–S3. Bibcode:2019Natur.568S...1O. doi:10.1038/d41586-019-01244-0. PMID 31019321.
  16. ^ Owens, Brian (20 October 2015). "In Canada, election results cheer scientists". Science: AAAS. Retrieved 15 March 2020.