Jonathan Cook

Honours Bachelor of Science, 2011; Doctor of Philosophy, 2018; Doctor of Medicine, 2021

Current role: Resident Physician

Employer: Jenner Institute, University of Oxford & Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, UofT

Industry: Healthcare

Biography: Jonathan is pursuing a career as a Clinician-Scientist, with a special interest in Medical Microbiology, Infectious Diseases, and vaccine design. He is conducting postdoctoral research within the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford focusing on malaria vaccine development. Jonathan is supported by a Banting Fellowship and is a Dr Sara Hope Browne Research Associate at Jesus College Oxford. He is also a resident physician based at the University of Toronto within the Royal College Clinician Investigator Program.

Jonathan earned his MD from Queen's University in 2021 and his PhD from the Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology at the University of Toronto in 2017. Jonathan’s previous research focused on the structure and function of viral entry glycoproteins, and was supervised by Prof. Jeffrey Lee. He used X-ray crystallography and biophysical methods to describe in atomic detail the molecular machines that allow viruses such as HIV and Influenza to initiate a productive infection. Jonathan has published his research in journals such as the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Nature Communications, PLoS Pathogens, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.

Why do I mentor: I have been involved in mentorship for nearly a decade and have been a mentor for the Woodsworth College Alumni Mentorship Programme for the past 5 years. I have chosen to participate in formal mentorship because my own personal journey in academia was greatly influenced by mentors who, as a non-traditional student, were otherwise not available to me.

Visit Jonathan​​​​​​'s LinkedIn to learn more: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cook-746177a/