Chair’s Corner
The energy and excitement of Los Angeles provides a wonderful bonus, but my decision to join the Keck School of Medicine of USC was deeply rooted in my training, interests and experience over 35 years – and my desire to translate these things into something of great significance in a first-class university.”
Andrew P. McMahon, PhD, FRS
Biography
McMahon is a leader in the field of developmental biology. McMahon’s research has provided fundamental insights into the cell interactions driving assembly of multiple organ systems, including the central nervous system, skeleton and kidney. McMahon’s research has identified diverse mechanisms regulating organ development, tissue repair and cancer. Current research focuses on development, injury and repair of the mammalian kidney, to model and treat kidney disease.
McMahon received his bachelor’s degree from Oxford University and his PhD from University College London. McMahon completed his postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology, then moved to London to start his independent research laboratory in 1984. In 1988, McMahon took up a position as assistant member at the Roche Institute for Molecular Biology, becoming full member and chair of the department in 1992. In 1993, McMahon became a professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. In a 19-year career at Harvard, McMahon was the Frank B. Baird Jr., Professor of Science, chair of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, a founding faculty of the Department of Stem Cells and Regenerative Biology, and principal investigator of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.
McMahon is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the European Molecular Biology Organization and the Royal Society.
About Andrew P. McMahon, PhD, FRS
Current Research
Professor McMahon’s laboratory explores the mechanisms that maintain stem/progenitor cells and regulate their differentiation to mature cell types of different organ systems with a principal focus on the central nervous system, skeleton and kidney. By combining genetic and genomic approaches with high resolution imaging, the laboratory is aiming to obtain a deeper understanding of stem cell biology and to develop novel therapeutic strategies for regenerative medicine. For more information, visit mcmahonlab.usc.edu.