After more than 33 years at Jefferson, Dr. James Jaynes has retired as of July 2025. Dr. Jaynes began his career as a biologist with undergraduate and PhD training at the University of Washington in Seattle. After fellowship research with Dr. Patrick O’Farrell at the University of California-San Francisco, he joined Jefferson, where he has remained a faculty member and active scientist since 1992. Dr. Jaynes’ research career has had a broad impact on our understanding of one of the most fundamental processes in biology, i.e., the molecular mechanisms that dictate contextual patterns of gene expression. His discoveries have important implications for developmental biology, as well as for human disease. Many of his landmark publications have been cited hundreds of times by other scientists. Beyond his scientific contributions, Dr. Jaynes has made important contributions to graduate education at Jefferson, via leadership roles in the Jefferson College of Life Sciences curriculum, and having trained more than a dozen PhD students.
Professor James B. Jaynes, PhD retires from Jefferson after 33 years
