Stephen Jones

Stephen Jones is a molecular biologist and genome-editing researcher who leads the Jones Lab at EMBL's Partnership Institute with Vilnius University's Life Sciences Center in Lithuania, developing novel genome-editing technologies for therapeutic, research, and biotech applications. Originally from the United States, Jones earned his doctorate in cellular and molecular biology at Brown University studying fungal pathogens with Dr. Richard Bennett, then carried out postdoctoral research in CRISPR biochemistry and cellular aging with Dr. Ilya Finkelstein at the University of Texas, where he developed high-throughput strategies for uncovering and benchmarking the targeting specificity and mechanisms of CRISPR nucleases.

In 2021, Jones moved to Lithuania to become a research professor and founding group leader of the EMBL Partnership Institute for Genome Editing Technologies at Vilnius University's Life Sciences Center, leading a group focused on discovering, characterizing, and applying CRISPR nucleases and other programmable enzymes for genome editing. In 2023, he became Lithuania's first winner of the European Research Council's Starting Grant, leading a project titled PROTEGE: Profile Nucleases and Repurpose Off-Targets to Expand Gene Editing.

Dr. Jones is an ERC Grantee, EMBO Young Investigator and Vilnius University Research Professor. He was born and trained in the United States, where he earned his doctorate in Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology and Biochemistry at Brown University with Dr. Richard Bennett. He produced his postdoctoral research in CRISPR biochemistry and cellular aging with Dr. Ilya Finkelstein at the University of Texas. In 2021, he established his research group at the EMBL Partnership Institute in Vilnius University's Life Sciences Center, where he leads the group in their search to discover and characterize CRISPR and other programmable nucleases with next-generation biochemistry.

Stephen lives in Vilnius, Lithuania with his wife Eva and their greyhound, Audrey Sparkles. Beyond science, Stephen is also a musician, mechanic, adventurer and lover of life.