Faculty and Staff
Jared Burks, Ph.D.
Professor
Associate Director of Shared Resources for the Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG)
Director of Flow Cytometry & Cell Imaging Core Facility
Primary Core Contact
Email: JBurks@MDAnderson.org
Office: B8.4512A
Phone: 713-792-6592
Jared Burks' scientific journey began as a research assistant in Dr. Max D. Summers' laboratory at Texas A&M University, where he first became fascinated with protein trafficking and confocal imaging. During his doctoral training, he developed a keen technical skill set, ultimately identifying importin-alpha-16, a critical shuttling protein involved in nuclear membrane protein transport. This early work demonstrated his ability to leverage advanced imaging techniques to uncover fundamental cellular mechanisms.
After completing his postdoctoral research at Baylor College of Medicine, where he refined his collaborative skills and problem-solving approaches, Burks joined UT MD Anderson. Over the past 14 years, he has transformed from a core facility researcher to a professor and associate director of shared resources for the Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) and founded the Innovation Nexus to drive technological advancement in cancer research.
Research Expertise
Recognized by the National Cancer Institute as a research specialist in spatial biology, Burks has introduced revolutionary technologies impacting research. His current research focuses on developing comprehensive data integration methods to understand cellular communications within tumors. By synthesizing spatial metabolomics, proteomics, transcriptomics and microbiome data in 3D spatial contexts, he aims to unravel complex functional interactions in unique cellular microenvironments.
Key Achievements and Impact
- Secured $5 million in novel technology partnerships
- Established cutting-edge imaging systems like Lunaphore Comet
- Introduced STOmics spatial transcriptomics
- Received NCI R50 Research Specialist Award
- Successfully contributed to a funded transformative U01 HTAN grant
As a key opinion leader, Burks consistently bridges technological innovation with scientific discovery. His expertise lies in identifying, adapting and leveraging emerging technologies to address critical research questions, driving collaborative innovations in cancer research and molecular biology.
Burks' approach combines technical precision, collaborative spirit and a relentless pursuit of understanding cellular complexity, ultimately advancing our comprehension of cancer biology and potential therapeutic strategies.
Cara Haymaker, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Translational Molecular Pathology (TMP)
Co-Director of Flow Cytometry & Cell Imaging Core Facility, ORION
Email: chaymaker@mdanderson.org
Phone: 713-792-1458
Cara Haymaker is actively involved in immune profiling of clinical trials performed at UT MD Anderson as director of the Translational Molecular Pathology-Immunoprofiling Platform (TMP-IL) and co-director of the Flow Cytometry and Cellular Imaging Facility (FCCIF), which houses the Oncology Research and Immune-monitoring core (ORION) as well as nationally as contact MPI of the NCI-funded UT MD Anderson Cancer Immune Monitoring and Analysis Center (CIMAC).
Joan Hoover-Zuniga
Administrative Support
JEZuniga@MDAnderson.org
Anna Casasent, Ph.D.
Senior Data Scientist, FCCIF North
AKCasasent@MDAnderson.org
Sungnam Cho
Senior Research Histology Technician, FCCIF North
SCho1@MDAnderson.org
Xuehong Gui
Research Assistant II, FCCIF North
XGui@MDAnderson.org
Angelique Lin
Coordinator, Flow Cytometry Lab, FCCIF North
AJLin1@MDAnderson.org
Duncan Mak
Supervisor, Laboratory & Research (Mass Cytometry), FCCIF North
DHMak@MDAnderson.org
Christopher Pacheco
Research Assistant II, FCCIF North
CDPacheco@MDAnderson.org
Danielle Stolley, Ph.D.
Research Scientist, FCCIF North
DStolley@MDAnderson.org
Bruno Rodrigues, Ph.D.
Coordinator, Flow Cytometry Lab, FCCIF North
BMRodrigues@MDAnderson.org
Nicole Vaughn
Coordinator, Flow Cytometry Lab, FCCIF North
NRVaughn@MDAnderson.org
Karen Ramirez, B.S.
Laboratory Manager, FCCIF South
kmramirez@mdanderson.org
Veena Papanna, M.S., SCYM(ASCP)CM
Coordinator, Flow Cytometry Lab, FCCIF South
vpapanna@mdanderson.org
Kathryn Cox, B.S., SCYM(ASCP)CM
Coordinator, Flow Cytometry Lab, FCCIF South
kequinta@mdanderson.org
Matthew Ramirez
Research Technician, FCCIF South
msramirez1@mdanderson.org
Karen A. Millerchip, B.S., SCYM(ASCP)
Lab Manager, ORION
KAMillerchip@mdanderson.org
Amber M. Kim, Ph.D.
Research Scientist, ORION
MKim7@mdanderson.org
Heather Otte, M.S.
Sr. Research Assistant, ORION
HMOtte@mdanderson.org
Aml Ahmed, M.Sc., Pharm.D.
Sr. Research Assistant, ORION
AAhmed6@mdanderson.org