John Tullai

Dr. John Tullai began his scientific career training at Mount Sinai School of Medicine with Drs. Marc Glucksman and James L. Roberts.  There, he investigated the protein biochemistry, enzymology and cellular aspects of the regulation of the peptide-metabolizing enzyme EC 3.4.24.15, an enzyme with important neuroendocrine regulatory roles in mammalian reproductive control and cardiovascular function.  He was the first to establish that the enzyme’s activity is regulated by PKA phosphorylation.  Dr. Tullai also delineated its subcellular trafficking with novel fractionation methodologies.

Following these studies, Dr. Tullai was awarded an NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service award as a Fellow in Dr. Geoffrey Cooper’s laboratory in the BU Department of Biology.  These studies integrated experimental and systems biological/genomic methodologies to study the transcription regulation of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt-mediated survival signals and induction of apoptosis in human glioblastoma multiforme cell models (GBM, among the most deadly forms of brain cancer).

During his tenure as a Research Assistant Professor with Dr. Cooper, Dr. Tullai expanded his interests and role in undergraduate education in the Department of Biology at Boston University.  In addition to instructing Introductory Biology, Cell Biology and Carcinogenesis, Dr. Tullai accrued extensive laboratory teaching experience in the Systems Biology course, including authoring the course lab manual.  Dr. Tullai also has significant experience in student mentoring, undergraduate research advising, laboratory safety supervision, and serving as a member of Ph.D., Master’s Degree and undergraduate Honors Thesis Committees. Dr. Tullai joined the Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience in 2019.

As an undergraduate STEM Educator, Dr. Tullai uses evidence-based pedagogy to introduce undergraduate Neuroscience students to real life Neuroscience research.  His aims are to continuously employ the most effective learning methods and technologies to both the lecture classroom and the teaching laboratory.