Jason Shepherd, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Email | 801-585-6214

Dr. Shepherd is a Professor in the Department of Neurobiology and holds the Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Endowed Chair at the University of Utah. He is the recipient of the Peter and Patricia Gruber International Research Award in Neuroscience, the International Society for Neurochemistry Young Investigator Award, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Ben Barres Early Career Acceleration Award, the Research to Prevent Blindness Stein Innovation Award, the NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award, the McKnight Foundation Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award, and is a National Academy of Sciences Kavli Fellow. Born in South Africa and raised in New Zealand, Dr. Shepherd enjoys the outdoors and Utah’s natural beauty.

 

A Word from Jason

There’s nothing like the thrill of discovering something new in science, something that no one had previously observed! My main goal as a PI is to create an environment that allows a diverse group of scientists to work together on projects that will help them achieve their career goals and that leads to impactful science.

Mentoring philosophy

Trainees in the lab learn the necessary skills to thrive in their future careers, including the fundamental skills of communication (writing and oral), data analysis, and working in a team environment. I tailor my mentorship to the individual, based on their future career goals and particular strengths/weaknesses. I believe intentional mentorship is key to the success of trainees and subsequently for the success of the lab's research program. I also take the approach that “once a mentor, always a mentor”, and see mentorship as a life-long role.

My role as mentor and PI is to enable lab members to carry out their projects. Each lab member works on their own project, where intellectual ownership and investment is key. They choose the main questions they would like to pursue; we then design the studies together. Their project is also embedded into a larger framework within the lab, which encourages teamwork. Since the lab works across multiple domains of analysis and methodologies, no person can be an expert in everything. Thus, projects move forward in collaboration and lab members mentor each other.

More about Jason Shepherd

 

  • July 2024-Present. Professor, Department of Neurobiology. The University of Utah, School of Medicine. Salt Lake City, UT. USA.

    January 2019 – 2024. Associate Professor with Tenure, Department of Neurobiology. The University of Utah, School of Medicine. Salt Lake City, UT. USA.

    January 2013 – 2019. Assistant Professor, Department of Neurobiology. The University of Utah, School of Medicine. Salt Lake City, UT. USA.

    April 2011 – December 2012. Postdoctoral Fellow (K99 award). The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge, MA. USA.

    June 2007- April 2011. Howard Hughes Medical Institute Postdoctoral Fellow. The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge, MA. USA.

  • Jan 2003 – May 2007. Cellular and Molecular Medicine Graduate Program (Ph.D). The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Baltimore, MD. USA.

    Jan-Oct 2002. One year in the Neurobiology and Behavior Graduate Program as an Exchange Abroad Scholar (counted towards undergraduate degree) University of California, Irvine. Irvine, CA. USA.

    1999 – 2002. Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in Neuroscience. University of Otago. Dunedin, New Zealand.

    1998. American Field Scholar (AFS) Intercultural Exchange in Switzerland, Kantonschule Trogen. Trogen, Appenzellerland. Switzerland

  • McKnight Foundation – Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award, 2024.

    Brain Research Foundation – Scientific Innovations Award, 2023.

    Research to Prevent Blindness Stein Innovation Award, 2020.

    NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award, 2019

    53rd International Achievement Summit – Delegate, 2019

    Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Endowed Chair, University of Utah, 2019

    Chan Zuckerberg Initiative – Ben Barres Early Career Acceleration Award, 2018

    Alzheimer’s Association Research Grant Award, 2018

    NIH Collaborative Development Award: Center for the Structural Biology of Cellular Host Elements in Egress, Trafficking and Assembly of HIV (CHEETAH), 2017

    Kavli Fellow. Frontiers in Science, National Academy of Sciences, 2016

    E. Matilda Ziegler Foundation for the Blind, Young Investigator Award, 2016

    Angelman Syndrome Foundation Research Grant, 2013

    NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00) from NINDS, April 2011.

    International Society for Neurochemistry Young Investigator Award, 2011.

    Peter and Patricia Gruber International Research Award in Neuroscience, 2010.

    Keystone NIH Symposia Scholarship, 2010.

    Swiss Society for Neuroscience FENS Travel Fellowship, 2008.

    Howard Hughes Medical Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2007.

    The Paul Erlich Young Investigator Award, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2006.

    Awarded Grass Foundation Fellowship in Neuroscience. Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole. Summer 2006.

    Glenn/AFAR Scholarship for Research in the Biology of Aging, 2003.

    Howard Hughes Predoctoral Fellowship, Honourable Mention, 2003.

    University of Otago Neuroscience Prize, 2002 – awarded for the top Honours research thesis in the undergraduate neuroscience program.

    University of Otago Science Honours Scholarship, 2002 – awarded to the top ten Honours theses in the Division of Science.

    Exchange Abroad Scholarship, University of Otago/University of California Irvine, 2002.

    Summer Research Fellowship, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, 2001.

    Summer Research Scholarship, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, 2000.

  • July 2007- December 2012. Postdoctoral Research. Laboratory of Dr Mark Bear. Investigating the in vivo role of Arc in visual cortex plasticity. The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge, MA.

    Summer 2009. Imaging Structure and Function in the Nervous System course. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY.

    Summer 2006. Independent Research, Marine Biological Laboratory. The role of BCL-2 family proteins and mitochondrial function in post-synaptic transmission and plasticity. In collaboration with Elizabeth Jonas and Len Kaczmarek (Yale University). Woods Hole, MA.

    Jan 2003 – May 2007. Doctoral Research. Laboratories of Dr Richard Huganir and Dr. Paul Worley. Investigation into the physiological function of the immediate early gene Arc and its role in AMPA receptor trafficking and synaptic dysfunction. Department of Neuroscience. Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Baltimore, MD.

    March-Oct 2002. Undergraduate Honours Thesis Research. Laboratory of Dr. Frank Laferla. Synaptic plasticity in novel transgenic models of neurodegeneration. Department of Neurobiology and behavior, University of California. Irvine, CA.

    Jan-March 2002. Undergraduate Research Assistant. Laboratory of Dr. Oswald Steward. Cloning of the Dendrin 3’ UTR region for mRNA localization studies in neurons. Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California. Irvine, CA.

    Nov-Dec 2001. Undergraduate Summer Research Scholarship. Laboratory of Dr. Ryszard Maleszka. RNA interference in cultured honeybee neurons. Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University. Canberra, Australia.

    Nov 2000 – Feb 2001. Undergraduate Summer Research Scholarship. Laboratory of Dr. Garth Cooper. New therapies for Diabetic cardiomyopathy in streptozotocin rats. School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland. Auckland, New Zealand.

    March- August 2000. Undergraduate Research Assistant. Laboratory of Dr Mike Colombo. The involvement of the hippocampus in visual contextual memory in pigeons. Department of Psychology, University of Otago. Dunedin, New Zealand.

  • Keynote speaker: NeuroCollective Symposium, Florida Atlantic University/University of Florida/Max Planck Florida Institute, 2025.

    Max Planck Florida Institute, Seminar Series, 2025.

    Washington University, Department of Developmental Biology seminar series, 2025.

    University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biology seminar series, 2025.

    Rice University, Neuroengineering Initiative seminar series, 2025.

    Session Chair: Winter Conference on Neural Plasticity, Fiji, 2025.

    Session Chair: Winter Conference on Brain Research, Tahoe, 2025.

    Invited speaker: Nature Conference - RNA at the Bench and Bedside, 2024.

    Invited speaker: CSHL Meeting: Transposable Elements, 2024.

    Invited speaker: American Academy of Neurology Summer Conference, 2024.

    Invited speaker: Cell Biology of the Neuron, Gordon Research Conference, 2024.

    Invited speaker: NIH High Risk/High Reward Research Symposium, 2024.

    Invited speaker: Canadian Association for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, 2024.

    Invited speaker: American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy Annual Meeting, 2024.

    Duke University, Department of Neurobiology Seminar series, 2024.

    University of Chicago, Department of Chemistry seminar series, 2024.

    MIT, the Picower Institute of Learning and Memory Seminar Series, 2024.

    Student invited Keynote speaker: Life Sciences Institute symposium, University of British Columbia, 2024.

    Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Neuroscience seminar series, 2023.

    Invited speaker: ISEV Symposium on Extracellular Vesicles in the Nervous System. Rome, 2023.

    Postdoc invited Keynote speaker: Kavli Neuroscience Institute at Rockefeller
    University. Mini-symposium: Microbiota and the Brain.

    Keynote speaker: Simons Collaboration on Plasticity and the Aging Brain, Annual meeting, 2023.

    Northwestern University, Department of Neuroscience Seminar Series, 2023.

    Postdoc invited speaker: Columbia University, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, 2023.

    Postdoc invited speaker: UCLA, Molecular Biology Institute’s interdepartmental seminar series, 2023.

    The Matthew Pecot Memorial Lecture in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, 2023.

    Session Chair and speaker, Winter Conference on Neural Plasticity, Mexico, 2023.

    Session Chair and speaker, Winter Conference on Brain Research, Snowbird, 2023.

    UTSW, Department of Pharmacology Seminar Series, 2022.

    The Vollum Institute Seminar Series, OHSU, 2022.

    Invited speaker: Engineering the Brain for Discovery and Clinical Applications, Boston
    University Center for Systems Neuroscience Symposium.

    University of South Florida, Molecular Medicine Bioscience Seminar series, 2022.

    Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Munich 2022.

    Invited speaker: Engrams and Ensembles in Learning and Memory Meeting, Trinity College Dublin 2022.

    UC Berkeley, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology Seminar series, 2022.

    University of Bergen, Department of Biomedicine Seminar series, Norway, 2022.

    Student invited speaker: University of Chicago, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Seminar series, 2022.

    Invited speaker: Dr. Dan Andrea Conference on “Plasticity and dynamics in the visual system connecting genes, cells and circuits”. The Weizmann Institute, Israel, 2022.

    Student invited speaker: Carnegie Mellon University, Biological Sciences Seminar series, 2022.

    Invited speaker: UC Irvine, Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory Meeting, 2022.

    Jackson Laboratory, Seminar Series, 2021.

    Keynote speaker: ASBMB - Extracellular vesicle studies: from benchtop to therapeutics, 2021.

    Boston Children’s Hospital, FM Kirby Neurobiology Center seminar series, 2021.

    Invited speaker: Keystone eSymposium on NeuroImmune Interactions in Health and
    Disease, 2021.

    Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Neuroscience Seminar Series, 2021.

    University of California, Riverside. Psychology and Neuroscience Seminar Series, 2021

    Student invited speaker: UC Irvine, Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, 2021.

    University of Alabama - Birmingham, Neuroscience seminar series, 2020.

    The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, BCMB seminar series, 2020.

    University of Wisconsin – Madison, Genetics Colloquium, 2020.

    Student invited speaker: Emory University, Frontiers in neuroscience seminar series, 2020

    University of Washington, Department of Physiology and Biophysics seminar series, 2020.

    Student invited speaker: Florida State University, Department of Biomedical Sciences “Grand Rounds”, 2020.

    Stanford University, Wu-Tsai Neuroscience Institute Neuroscience Seminar Series, 2020.

    Columbia University, Neuroscience seminar series, 2020.

    Panel speaker: Winter Conference on Brain Research, Big Sky, 2020.

    Invited speaker: Keystone symposium on Non-coding RNAs, Whistler, 2020.

    Invited speaker: Park City Learning and Memory meeting, 2020.

    Cell and Developmental Biology Center Seminar series, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, 2019.

    Max Planck Florida, Neuroscience seminar series, 2019.

    Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience Seminar
    series, 2019.

    UCSF, Basic Sciences Seminar series, 2019.

    UC Merced, Quantitative Systems Biology Seminar Series, 2019.

    Invited speaker: Janelia Viral Engineering Conference, 2019.

    Invited speaker: Current Trends and Future Directions of Synapse-Circuit Plasticity Research – joint US-Japan meeting. Gotemba, Japan, 2019.

    Invited speaker: RNA, Epitranscriptomics and Plasticity, Neuroscience School of
    Advanced Studies. Venice, Italy, 2019.

    Keynote speaker: Boston College, Department of Biology Retreat, 2019.

    Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, 2019.

    University of Buffalo, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 2019.

    UC, San Diego. Department of Neuroscience, 2019.

    Mass General Hospital/Harvard Medical School Neuroscience Seminar Series, 2019.

    UCLA, Neuroscience Seminar Series, 2019

    USC, Neurobiology Seminar Series, 2019


    Invited speaker: University of Texas, Austin Conference on Learning & Memory, 2019.

    Invited speaker: Gordon Research Conference: Dendrites: Molecules, Structure and Function, 2019.

    University of Texas, Dallas, Department of Neuroscience, 2019.

    University of Virginia, Department of Neuroscience, 2019.

    Invited Speaker, Winter Conference on Neural Plasticity, Tahiti, 2019.

    Panel Chair, Winter Conference on Brain Research, Snowmass Resort, 2019.

    Invited Speaker, American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting, 2018, San Diego, 2018.

    Arizona State University, School of Life Sciences, 2018.

    Caltech, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, 2018.

    Invited speaker: TEDMED, Palm Springs, 2018.
    (https://www.tedmed.com/talks/show?id=729641)

    Symposium Chair, Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, 2018: Extracellular Vesicles: Insights into Cell-to-Cell Communication in the Nervous System. San Diego, 2018.

    Invited speaker, Molecular and Cellular Cognition Society Meeting, San Diego, 2018.

    Invited speaker, American Society for Exosomes and Microvesicles, Baltimore, 2018.

    The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience, 2018.


    C.Warren Olanow Lecture. Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience, 2018.

    University of North Carolina, Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, 2018.

    University of Montreal, Department of Neuroscience, 2018.

    Keynote speaker: Extracellular Vesicles in Health and Disease meeting – Tel-Aviv, Israel, 2018.

    The Francis Crick Institute, Infections Interest Group Seminar, London UK, 2018.

    University of Bordeaux, Neurocampus, Bordeaux France, 2018.

    Grenoble Institut des Neurosciences, Grenoble France, 2018.

    MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge, UK.

    Washington State University, Biomedical Sciences seminar series, Spokane, 2018.

    Keynote speaker: The Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society Annual Meeting, Seattle, 2018.

    CSHL Retrovirus Meeting, 2018.

    Keystone Symposium: Exosomes/Microvesicles: Heterogeneity, Biogenesis, Function and Therapeutic Developments, 2018.

    EMBO Meeting: Dendritic anatomy, molecules and function. Heraklion, Greece, 2018.

    Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics student invited seminar, Loyola University Chicago, 2018.

    Neuroscience program student invited seminar, University of Wyoming, 2018.

    Janelia Research Campus, Systems Neuroscience Seminar Series, 2018.

    CPIN Emerging Leaders in Neuroscience Lecture, University of Toronto, 2018.

    Brandeis University, Department of Biology, 2017.

    Panel Chair, Winter Conference on Brain Research, Big Sky Resort, 2017.

    University of Massachusetts Medical School, Department of Neurobiology, 2017.

    Gordon Research Conference, Excitatory Synapses and Brain Function – Switzerland, 2017.

    The Angleman Syndrome Foundation Annual Conference – Phoenix, 2017.

    Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California – Irvine, 2016.

    National Academy of Sciences – Kavli Frontiers in Science Symposium, Newport CA, 2016.

    Stanford University, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, 2016.

    Gordon Research Conference on Synaptic Transmission, August 2016.

    University of Colorado Medical School, Department of Pharmacology Seminar Series. February, 2016.

    Keynote Speaker: The Cellular and Molecular Medicine Graduate Program Retreat, Johns Hopkins University. October, 2015.

    The Long and Winding Road: Neuronal Trafficking in Physiology and Disease. HHMI conference, Janelia Farms. May, 2015.

    Panel Chair, Winter Conference on Brain Research, Big Sky Resort. January 2015.

    Hospital for Sick Children, Neurosciences & Mental Health program.Toronto. July 2014.

    Keynote Speaker: University of Auckland, Centre for Brain Research Retreat. Oct 2013.

    University of Arizona, Evelyn McKnight Institute. Tucson, June 2013.

    Spring Hippocampus Meeting. Taormina, Italy. June 2013.

    University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Department of Psychiatry. February 2012.

    University of Utah, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy. Utah, January 2012.

    Rutgers University, Deparment of Cell Biology and Neuroscience. NJ, January 2012.

    Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience/NRI. Houston, November 2011.

    Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience. NY, October 2011.

    Florey Neuroscience Institute, Melbourne University. Melbourne, September 2011.

    ISN Young Lectureship, ISN-ESN Biennial Meeting. Athens, Greece. August 2011.

    University of Michigan, Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute. March 2011.

    Tufts University School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience. February 2011.

    Northwestern University, Department of Physiology. October 2010.

    Angelman Foundation Symposium, Chapel Hill. April, 2010.

    University of Auckland, School of Medicine seminar series. December, 2009.

    The Synaptic Basis of Disease Conference, Geneva. July 2008.

    Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience Seminar Series. April 2007.

    University of Maryland, Program in Cognitive Sciences Seminar Series. February 2007.

    Winter Conference in Neural Plasticity, Tahiti. February 2007.

    University of Cambridge, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, November 2006.

    The 16th Neuropharmacology Conference, Atlanta. USA . October 2006.

  • NEUSC 6040. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience. Lecturer. University of Utah, 2013 –

    NEUSC 6040: Course Director. 2015 –

    Course Instructor, Course 7.347 Advanced Seminar in the Cell Biology of the Synapse. MIT, 2009.

    Teaching Assistant: MCB 80 (Sanes and Lichtman) – The Neurobiology of Behavior, Harvard University, 2009.

    Teaching Assistant: Neuroscience for medical students (Lab and discussion groups), Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 2004-06.

  • Associate Editor: Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience

    Review Editor: Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience

    Journal Reviewer: Journal of Neurophysiology, Journal of Physiology, Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, Journal of Neuroscience, Frontiers in Neuroscience, Science Signaling, Translational Psychiatry, Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, Molecular Autism, Neural Plasticity, Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE), Journal of Clinical Investigation, Trends in Neuroscience, Neuron, eLife, Nature Neuroscience, Cell Reports, Nature Communications.

    Grant reviewer: Fragile X Research Foundation, Angelman Syndrome Foundation, Welcome Trust Foundation, The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development, The Florida Department of Public Health – Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program.

    Graduate admissions committee: University of Utah Neuroscience Graduate Program 2013 – 2016

    Director – Synapse Interesting Group, University of Utah

    Faculty search committee, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy – University of Utah 2013/14.

    Co-Chair, Faculty search committee, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy – University of Utah 2018.

    Organizer, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy Seminar Series, 2016 –

    Member of the Society for Neuroscience 2003 –

    Vice-President of MIT Rugby Football Club 2008 – 2012.

    USA Rugby certified referee

    REDDIT Science AMA Session, 2014.

    TEDxSaltLakeCity – Steering Committee Member. 2014 – 2017.

    Member of the American Society of Cell Biology 2018 –