Dr. Scott Dixon

Biography

As a professor in the Department of Biology at Stanford University, Scott Dixon's research focuses on the relationship between cell death and metabolism. His academic journey began with a B.Sc. in Behavioral Neuroscience from Laurentian University in 2000, followed by a Ph.D. in Molecular Medical Genetics from the University of Toronto in 2007. During his early research as a graduate student and postdoctoral fellow, he investigated genetic networks in model organisms, emphasizing the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans and single-celled eukaryotes. Dixon's pioneering work demonstrated that the small molecule erastin inhibits certain transporters, leading to a novel oxidative cell death pathway known as ferroptosis. Currently, his lab is dedicated to understanding how perturbations in intracellular metabolic networks can trigger new forms of cell death, with the overarching goal of ultimately identifying therapeutic strategies for diseases characterized by abnormal cell death, such as cancer and neurodegeneration.

Research Interests

Courses