Paul Turner
About Paul Turner
Paul Turner is a Professor at Yale University, specializing in the evolutionary genetics of viruses, particularly bacteriophages and RNA viruses. He has received numerous awards and fellowships for his research and has held various leadership roles within scientific organizations.
Work at Yale University
Paul Turner has been a Professor at Yale University since 2001, contributing to the field of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He holds the title of Rachel Carson Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Turner is also a faculty member in Microbiology at the Yale School of Medicine. His leadership roles at Yale include serving as Director of Graduate Studies and Chair of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department. Additionally, he has held positions such as Interim Dean of Science and Chair of the Biological Sciences Advisory and Tenure Promotion Committees.
Education and Expertise
Paul Turner received his Biology degree from the University of Rochester in 1988 and earned a Ph.D. in Zoology from Michigan State University in 1995. His expertise lies in the evolutionary genetics of viruses, with a particular focus on bacteriophages and RNA viruses transmitted by mosquitoes. He has completed postdoctoral training at prestigious institutions, including the National Institutes of Health, University of Valencia in Spain, and University of Maryland-College Park.
Achievements
Turner has received several notable fellowships, including those from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). He has been recognized with the E.E. Just Endowed Research Fellowship and the William Townsend Porter Award from the Marine Biological Laboratory. Turner is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
Professional Involvement
Paul Turner has held significant roles in various scientific organizations. He served as Chair of the American Society for Microbiology Division on Evolutionary and Genomic Microbiology and chaired the Watkins Graduate Research Fellowship award committee for the same society. He has also chaired the Gordon Research Conference on Microbial Population Biology and the CNRS Jacques Monod Conference on Viral Emergence. Additionally, he is a member of the National Science Foundation’s Biological Sciences Advisory Committee and served as Councilor of the American Genetic Association.