Paul E. Turner facts for kids

Paul E. Turner is an American scientist. He studies how living things change over time, which is called evolutionary biology. He also studies viruses. Dr. Turner is a professor at Yale University and works at the Yale School of Medicine. He mostly studies how viruses change. He looks at viruses that infect bacteria, called bacteriophages. He also studies RNA viruses that mosquitoes can spread.

Early Life and Education

Paul Turner was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1966. His father was a minister and his mother was a teacher. Paul grew up near Syracuse, New York. He spent his childhood exploring forests and lakes. He loved watching animals in their natural homes.

He started college at the University of Rochester. At first, he wanted to be an engineer. But his professors, like John Jaenike, encouraged him to study biology. He earned his degree in Biology in 1988. After college, he worked at a wildlife sanctuary. This helped him decide to go to graduate school for biology.

Becoming a Scientist

Turner began his advanced studies in 1989. He joined a program at the University of California, Irvine. His main advisor was Richard Lenski. In 1991, Dr. Lenski's group moved to Michigan State University. Turner moved with them. He finished his PhD in Zoology there in 1995. He was one of the first African Americans to get a PhD in evolutionary biology.

During his studies, Turner looked at bacteria. He wanted to understand how living things change and interact. He studied how parasites spread. This helped him learn about evolution.

After his PhD, Turner did more research. He worked at the University of Maryland, College Park. He also worked at the University of Valencia and the National Institutes of Health.

Research at Yale University

In 2001, Paul Turner became a professor at Yale University. He taught in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He became a full professor in 2011. From 2011 to 2015, he was also a scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory.

Dr. Turner has written many scientific papers. He is well-known for his work on how viruses change over time. Recently, he has been using his knowledge to help fight infections. He is working on something called phage therapy. This uses viruses to fight bacteria that are resistant to medicine.

Awards and Honors

Paul Turner has received important awards for his work.

• In 2019, he was chosen to be a member of the National Academy of Sciences. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United States.
• Also in 2019, he became a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This group recognizes leaders in many fields.