Paul M. Kulesa
Candidate Statement: I am honored to be considered for Program Committee Co-Chair. I would be delighted to serve the AAA and contribute to the science, training and career education of its members through the annual meetings. I will enthusiastically bring nearly 20 years of experience as a PI and scientist to the position. I have extensive experience with the annual meeting, having participated as a speaker and organized 5 plenary sessions and 2 symposia on topics ranging from in vivo imaging, collective cell migration and the interface of development, cell and cancer biology signaling. I am comfortable with handling the budget, invitations and operations of both large (over 30 speakers) and small (4 speaker) sessions and promoted the gender balance of speakers with representation from students and junior faculty from primarily undergraduate institutions and diverse backgrounds. The AAA already has a unique and forward-thinking vision to bridge and unify science information across many different disciplines and provide a welcoming environment for students and faculty to train and network. I believe a program committee co-chair should work hard to sustain this vision and listen to members to strengthen and build on its foundation.
Current Position/Institution: Professor and Director of Imaging/KulesaLab, Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Ph.D. Institution: Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, University of Washington, 1995.
Earlier Positions: Associate Professor (2007-2012), Assistant Professor (2003-2007), Stowers Institute. Burroughs Wellcome Postdoctoral Scholar (1998-2002), Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow (1995-1998), Biological Sciences, California Institute of Technology.
Teaching: [Current] Carcinogenesis and Cancer Biology; Cell and Developmental Biology. [Past] 3D Microscopy of Living Cells; Cell Dynamics; Advanced Developmental Biology.
AAA Committee/Roles: Program Committee Volunteer (2019-); Symposium organizer (5 total; 2011-2013, 2016-2017).
Other Professional Memberships Currently Maintained: Society for Developmental Biology. Society of Mathematical Biology.
Other Professional Offices Currently Held: None
Research Interest: I study cell migration and cell communication mechanisms during vertebrate embryonic development, using the highly invasive and multipotent neural crest cells, leveraging innovations in imaging, spatial gene profiling, and computational modeling. By better understanding how cells invade and communicate with neighbors to move collectively, my long term goals are to inform clinical strategies that aim to repair neural crest-related birth defects or injury, and more accurately predict and control invasion and plasticity of neural crest-derived cancers.
Web Link: www.stowers.org/scientists/paul-kulesa