Assistant Professor

Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

905-525-9140 ext. 22345

stokesjm@mcmaster.ca

---

Jon received his BHSc in 2011 and his PhD in antimicrobial chemical biology in 2016, both from McMaster University. From 2017 to 2021 he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, carrying a prestigious Banting Fellowship from 2018-2020. Upon completing his postdoc, Jon established his laboratory back at McMaster in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences in August 2021.

The Stokes lab leverages a mindful balance of experimental and computational approaches to discover the next generation of life-saving antibiotics with novel structures and functions that expand the capabilities of these medicines beyond the current state of the art. One of our primary interests, quite broadly, is in the application of deep learning approaches to help us predict the antibacterial properties of structurally novel small molecules. Moreover, we seek to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying tolerance to antibiotics, which is the case where conventional bactericidal antibiotics fail to eradicate genetically antibiotic-susceptible bacterial cells. Indeed, these poorly understood antibiotic tolerant bacterial populations are responsible for prolonging antibiotic treatment durations in immunocompromised patients and facilitating the evolution of bona fide antibiotic resistance.

Along with his scientific endeavors, Jon has a strong interest in increasing the rate at which fundamentally novel antibiotics are developed, approved, and administered to patients in need. To this end, as a postdoc he co-founded a non-profit organization, Phare Bio, which aims to de-risk promising antibiotic candidates and position these molecules for more rapid advancement through the clinical trial process. At McMaster, Jon is motivated to identify new and unconventional ways that we can more efficiently and less expensively turn our discoveries into life-saving medicines.

Assistant Professor

Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

905-525-9140 ext. 22345

stokesjm@mcmaster.ca

---

Jon received his BHSc in 2011 and his PhD in antimicrobial chemical biology in 2016, both from McMaster University. From 2017 to 2021 he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, carrying a prestigious Banting Fellowship from 2018-2020. Upon completing his postdoc, Jon established his laboratory back at McMaster in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences in August 2021.

The Stokes lab leverages a mindful balance of experimental and computational approaches to discover the next generation of life-saving antibiotics with novel structures and functions that expand the capabilities of these medicines beyond the current state of the art. One of our primary interests, quite broadly, is in the application of deep learning approaches to help us predict the antibacterial properties of structurally novel small molecules. Moreover, we seek to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying tolerance to antibiotics, which is the case where conventional bactericidal antibiotics fail to eradicate genetically antibiotic-susceptible bacterial cells. Indeed, these poorly understood antibiotic tolerant bacterial populations are responsible for prolonging antibiotic treatment durations in immunocompromised patients and facilitating the evolution of bona fide antibiotic resistance.

Along with his scientific endeavors, Jon has a strong interest in increasing the rate at which fundamentally novel antibiotics are developed, approved, and administered to patients in need. To this end, as a postdoc he co-founded a non-profit organization, Phare Bio, which aims to de-risk promising antibiotic candidates and position these molecules for more rapid advancement through the clinical trial process. At McMaster, Jon is motivated to identify new and unconventional ways that we can more efficiently and less expensively turn our discoveries into life-saving medicines.

Assistant Professor

Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

905-525-9140 ext. 22345

stokesjm@mcmaster.ca

---

Jon received his BHSc in 2011 and his PhD in antimicrobial chemical biology in 2016, both from McMaster University. From 2017 to 2021 he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, carrying a prestigious Banting Fellowship from 2018-2020. Upon completing his postdoc, Jon established his laboratory back at McMaster in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences in August 2021.

The Stokes lab leverages a mindful balance of experimental and computational approaches to discover the next generation of life-saving antibiotics with novel structures and functions that expand the capabilities of these medicines beyond the current state of the art. One of our primary interests, quite broadly, is in the application of deep learning approaches to help us predict the antibacterial properties of structurally novel small molecules. Moreover, we seek to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying tolerance to antibiotics, which is the case where conventional bactericidal antibiotics fail to eradicate genetically antibiotic-susceptible bacterial cells. Indeed, these poorly understood antibiotic tolerant bacterial populations are responsible for prolonging antibiotic treatment durations in immunocompromised patients and facilitating the evolution of bona fide antibiotic resistance.

Along with his scientific endeavors, Jon has a strong interest in increasing the rate at which fundamentally novel antibiotics are developed, approved, and administered to patients in need. To this end, as a postdoc he co-founded a non-profit organization, Phare Bio, which aims to de-risk promising antibiotic candidates and position these molecules for more rapid advancement through the clinical trial process. At McMaster, Jon is motivated to identify new and unconventional ways that we can more efficiently and less expensively turn our discoveries into life-saving medicines.

Assistant Professor

Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences

905-525-9140 ext. 22345

stokesjm@mcmaster.ca

---

Jon received his BHSc in 2011 and his PhD in antimicrobial chemical biology in 2016, both from McMaster University. From 2017 to 2021 he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, carrying a prestigious Banting Fellowship from 2018-2020. Upon completing his postdoc, Jon established his laboratory back at McMaster in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences in August 2021.

The Stokes lab leverages a mindful balance of experimental and computational approaches to discover the next generation of life-saving antibiotics with novel structures and functions that expand the capabilities of these medicines beyond the current state of the art. One of our primary interests, quite broadly, is in the application of deep learning approaches to help us predict the antibacterial properties of structurally novel small molecules. Moreover, we seek to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying tolerance to antibiotics, which is the case where conventional bactericidal antibiotics fail to eradicate genetically antibiotic-susceptible bacterial cells. Indeed, these poorly understood antibiotic tolerant bacterial populations are responsible for prolonging antibiotic treatment durations in immunocompromised patients and facilitating the evolution of bona fide antibiotic resistance.

Along with his scientific endeavors, Jon has a strong interest in increasing the rate at which fundamentally novel antibiotics are developed, approved, and administered to patients in need. To this end, as a postdoc he co-founded a non-profit organization, Phare Bio, which aims to de-risk promising antibiotic candidates and position these molecules for more rapid advancement through the clinical trial process. At McMaster, Jon is motivated to identify new and unconventional ways that we can more efficiently and less expensively turn our discoveries into life-saving medicines.