Bio:

James C. Paulson is currently Cecil and Ida Green Professor and Chair of Molecular Medicine at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA. Prof. Paulson obtained his PhD (Biochemistry) in 1974 from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and did post-doctoral work at Duke University Medical Centre, in Durham, North Carolina from 1974-78. From 1978 – 1990 he rose from Assistant Professor to full Professor and vice-chair in the Department of Biological Chemistry at the UCLA School of Medicine. From 1990-1999 he served as Vice President and Member Board of Directors of Cytel Corporation, La Jolla, CA. From 1999-present he has been Professor at The Scripps Research Institute, where he served as acting President & CEO from 2014-2015. He led the worldwide Consortium for Functional Glycomics from 2002-2012 and is a member of numerous scientific advisory boards in academics and pharmaceutical companies. His current research interests include: elucidating the roles of glycan binding receptors in the regulation of immune cell signaling and in suppression of unwanted immune responses; and in the role of receptor specificity in the emergence of new human influenza pandemic viruses from avian influenza progenitors. He has published nearly 400 research articles and his work has been recognized by many awards and honors including: The Claude S. Hudson Award and Melville L. Wolfram Award from the American Chemical Society CARB division; the President’s Innovator and Karl Meyer Awards from the Society for Glycobiology; Election as Fellow of AAAS; Bijvoet Medal, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University; Barnett Lecture, Northeastern University; Matzuk Lecture, Baylor University; and United States EPA Green Chemistry Challenge Award.