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Thomas Jessell | |
|---|---|
 Photo by Jill LeVine | |
| Born | Thomas Michael Jessell (1951-08-02)2 August 1951 |
| Died | 28 April 2019(2019-04-28) (aged 67) |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Awards | Ralph W. Gerard Prize in Neuroscience(2016) Gruber Prize in Neuroscience(2014) Gairdner Foundation International Award(2012) Perl-UNC Prize(2009) Kavli Prize(2008) March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology(2001) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Neuroscience |
| Institutions | Columbia University Harvard University Howard Hughes Medical Institute |
| Thesis | Regulation of the Release of Substance P and Other Putative Neurotransmitters from Mammalian Brain In Vitro (1977) |
| Academic advisors | Gerald Fischbach |
| Notable students | |
Thomas Michael Jessell (2 August 1951 – 28 April 2019) was the Claire Tow Professor ofbiochemistry andmolecular biophysics atColumbia University inNew York and a prominent developmental neuroscientist. In 2018, Columbia University announced his termination from his administrative positions after an internal investigation uncovered violations of university policies.[1] He died shortly after from a rapidly neurodegenerative condition diagnosed asprogressive supranuclear palsy.[2][3]
Jessell received his PhD in neuroscience from theUniversity of Cambridge PhD in 1977[4] withLeslie Iversen at the MRC Neurochemical Pharmacology Unit.
After his PhD, he worked as apostdoctoral fellow atHarvard Medical School withGerald Fischbach. In 1981 he became an assistant professor in the Department of Neurobiology atHarvard Medical School. In 1985 he joined theColumbia University faculty where he worked for the remainder of his career and became Claire Tow Professor of Motor Neuron Disorders (in neuroscience).[5]
Jessell is known for his work on chemicalsignals that play a role whennerve cells assemble duringdevelopment to form neuronal circuits. In 1994, he showed thatnetrin guides commissural axons in the vertebrate spinal cord.
In 1994 Jessell was awarded theNAS Award for Scientific Reviewing from theNational Academy of Sciences.[6] He was a co-recipient, withPasko Rakic andSten Grillner, of the inauguralKavli Prize for Neuroscience in 2008.[7] He was elected aFellow of the Royal Society in 1996.[8][9] He won the Ralph W. Gerard Prize from the Society for Neuroscience in 2016.[10] He was a fellow of theNorwegian Academy of Science and Letters.[11]
Jessell is the co-editor, withEric R. Kandel andJames Schwartz, of the well-known textbookPrinciples of Neural Science.
On March 7, 2018, Jessell was removed from his post at Columbia University following what a Columbia statement described as "an investigation that revealed serious violations of university policies and values governing the behavior of faculty members in an academic environment". The university did not give details of the nature of the violations.[1] His appointment as an investigator at theHoward Hughes Medical Institute, which he had held since 1985, was also ended.[12] TheColumbia Daily Spectator reported on April 12 that Jessell "was engaged in a relationship with a lab member under his supervision for years, violating University policies on consensual romantic and sexual relationships, before being removed from all administrative posts this past March".[13] The newspaper subsequently reported that Jessell "was removed from his administrative post, following an investigation that found him responsible for sexual misconduct".[14] It is reported Jessell was suffering symptoms of an aggressive neurodegenerative disease during this period.[5]
