J. Wade Harper, PhD

Harper’s work focuses organelle quality control by the ubiquitin system and autophagy. His recent work has led to the discovery of a phosphorylation-driven feed-forward ubiquitylation pathway controlling PARKIN-dependent mitophagy, and a molecular understanding of the pathways controlling selective autophagy of a variety of organelles. He obtained his PhD in chemistry at Georgia Institute of Technology and performed postdoctoral studies at Harvard Medical School. He currently serves as Chair of the Department of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School. Awards include the Javits Neuroscience award, election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and election to the National Academy of Sciences.