Outstanding Faculty Award 2026: Joseph Peters

Bio

Dr. Joseph Peters, Professor of Microbiology, is chair of the Department of Microbiology. Prior to this role he served as director of the graduate field of Microbiology. Peters earned his degrees at Stony Brook University and the University of Maryland, College Park. As a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Medical School Peters found his passion for mobile genetic elements.

Professor Peters does research on mobile genetic elements with a particular emphasis on transposons, also known as “Jumping Genes,” that can move within genomes. This work helps explain the evolution of new pathogens and the incidence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria but also has important real-world applications. The Peters lab discovered that transposons had coopted CRISPR guide RNA-directed systems to allow them to self-program places where they could insert. Application of these diverse systems has allowed the lab to develop next-generation tools for genome editing. His work with these systems has been patented in the US and abroad and he was selected for the 2024 CALS Best Inventor Award for developing a novel technology with significant commercial and industrial applications. Peters recently cofounded a Cornell spinout company with a former student using these discoveries.

Peters is a fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology. In addition to publications in high profile journals Peters is coauthor of two editions of a leading molecular genetics textbook based on what worked in his classroom. Peters research has been supported by funding from the NIH, NSF, USDA, DARPA, and sponsored research with multiple companies.