Jay Xiaojun Tan, PhD

 Jay’s early motivation in seeking a career in science was cultivated at Nanjing University in China where he undertook three years of undergraduate research in biochemistry, cell biology, and pharmacology. In his PhD studies with Dr. Richard A. Anderson, a phospholipid expert at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Jay received extensive research training in cell biology, molecular biology, and biochemistry with a focus on stress-induced membrane trafficking. Supported by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) predoctoral fellowship, Jay made a series of discoveries in his PhD work from different lipid effectors in receptor trafficking, lysosomal degradation and autophagy to the non-canonical, kinase-independent role for EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) in autophagy initiation. In 2016, Jay started his postdoctoral training as a Cancer Research Institute (CRI) Irvington Postdoctoral Fellow at UT Southwestern working with Dr. James Chen. With further training in advanced biochemistry, Jay quickly uncovered phosphoinositide regulation of the cGAS/STING innate immunity pathway and also contributed to the work on an unconventional role for STING in autophagy induction. His research experience in lysosomal degradation, stress response, autophagy and innate immunity triggered his strong interest in pursuing a science career in aging research. After his postdoc training, in 2019, Jay joined the Aging Institute at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine working with Dr. Toren Finkel as a research faculty member. One of his long-term research interests since graduate school has been lysosomes, the dysfunction of which is closely related to aging and age-related pathology. Through a proteomic approach, Jay discovered the PITT (phosphoinositide-initiated membrane tethering and lipid transport) pathway for rapid lysosomal repair with broad implications in aging and age-related diseases. In Jan 2022, he received his NIA K01 career development award. In July 2022, Jay started his independent lab in the Aging Institute and Department of Cell Biology at University of Pittsburgh.