Jonathon L. Baker, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor
bakerjo@ohsu.edu

Jonathon Baker, PhD, joined the Department of Biomaterial & Biomedical Sciences at OHSU in 2023. Dr. Baker has over 17 years of experience leading microbiology, virology, immunology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and bioinformatics research. Dr. Baker’s research has been continuously funded by NIH since 2013, and he has served as a Principal Investigator for NIH-funded projects since 2017. The research in Dr. Baker’s laboratory leverages emerging technologies in bioinformatics and molecular biology to answer fundamental questions regarding the ecology, physiology, and pathogenesis of the human oral microbiome. This research has discovered new species of bacteria and novel biosynthetic pathways, and has the long-term goal of improving overall human health by better understanding how the ecosystems within the mouth work and interact with the human host. Dr. Baker also teaches at the OHSU School of Dentistry, serving as a Co-Director for MB721 Microbiology & Immunology and MB722 Pathogenic & Oral Microbiology, and as a Lecturer in OPTH725 Caries and OB513 Oral Biology III, and as a Mentor to trainees as part of the OHSU DORS and WINDOWS NIH R25 Internship Programs. Dr. Baker currently serves as the Co-Lead for the NASA Gene Labs Oral Microbiome Analysis Working Group, on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Oral Microbiology, and as an ad hoc peer reviewer for the NIH IMII Study Section, the Wellcome Trust, the Swiss National Science Foundation, and over 25 peer-reviewed journals.

Originally from Rochester, NY, Dr. Baker has a PhD in Microbiology & Immunology from the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry and a BS in biology from SUNY Geneseo. Prior to joining the faculty at OHSU, Dr. Baker conducted research in the Genomic Medicine Group at the J. Craig Venter Institute, the Department of Pediatrics at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, the Department of Oral Biology at the UCLA School of Dentistry, and in the Vaccine Research and Early Development group at Pfizer, Inc.