Brant Webster Email & Phone Number

I am cellular and molecular biologist with longstanding interest in the functional and organizational principles of the cell, particularly how loss of homeostasis drives disease pathogenesis. I have a 15+ year successful track record of conceiving, initiating and establishing innovative and productive research programs across diverse model organisms — from baker’s yeast to tissue culture cells to pythons and patient brain samples — recognized by prestigious fellowships and high-profile publications.One of the overriding themes of my scientific discoveries is connecting cellular compartments and complexes once thought to be spatially and functionally distinct, for example endoplasmic reticulum to mitochondria and endosomal sorting complexes to the nuclear pore complex. I rigorously leverage orthogonal and complementary experimental approaches including genetic, molecular, biochemical, and microscopy techniques to extract biologically meaningful data that enable high-confidence interpretation and decisions. These experiences provide a technical and conceptual framework to understand complex scientific problems, identify key questions or knowledge gaps, and to creatively address these gaps with a versatile experimental toolkit.The 1974 Nobel laureate, George Palade’s dream that “analysis of diseases at the cellular level, was the first step toward their final control” has deeply resonated with me throughout my scientific career. Biomarker discovery is an essential step in therapeutic development that informs both early discovery and clinical development efforts, yet only partially realizes this dream. Despite rapid technological advancements in cellular and molecular methodologies including next generation sequencing, spatial proteomics, and microscopy; many biomarker efforts are restrained by “off-the-shelf”, abundance-based readouts. Applying these modern methodologies to define the cell biology of disease in patient phenotyping, both in vitro and ex vivo, has tremendous opportunity to define the mechanistic basis of disease pathogenesis, generating high-value and innovative therapeutic and biomarker targets. I am excited by the opportunity to combine my expertise in microscopy, functional genomics, and biomarker discovery to inform discoveries leading to transformative therapeutic interventions for patients with unmet needs.