Dr. Benjamin Turk

Biography

Dr. Benjamin Turk is a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Yale University. His primary research focus is on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular phosphorylation networks, particularly how these networks are altered in cancer cells. His laboratory is at the forefront of mass spectrometry-based phosphoproteomics, having cataloged over 100,000 phosphorylation sites in mammalian cells. Dr. Turk's research delves into the functional significance of protein kinases, with specific attention to their interactions with substrates. He has conducted extensive biochemical screens to map cellular phosphorylation networks and examine cancer-associated kinase mutations. His work is pivotal in developing new pharmacological strategies to target relevant signaling pathways in disease. He has been instrumental in advancing the understanding of short linear motifs (SLiMs) that help identify kinase-substrate interactions. Dr. Turk's academic journey includes a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a postdoctoral position at Harvard Medical School.

Research Interests

Experience