Jane Carlton is a geneticist and parasitologist exploring crucial questions about the malaria parasite’s genome to develop better methods to control the parasite. Using the tools of comparative genomics, she studies the biology and evolution of different species of parasites that could lead us closer to her goal of eradicating malaria. 

Carlton established and served as the program director for the Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India (CSCMi), one of ten National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR). In her current work, Carlton is developing a systems biology approach—using interdisciplinary, holistic methods that combine diverse biological datasets with computational and integrative analysis and modeling of complex biological systems. She uses datasets from multiple “omics” fields, which aim to collectively characterize the groups of biological molecules that translate into the structure, function, and dynamics of an organism to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of biological systems and the complex relationships and patterns within them. Carlton is the Director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute where she plans to broaden the scope of research by building on existing partnerships and expanding to new collaborators and their endemic field sites. 

Carlton joined Johns Hopkins University as a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in 2024 from New York University.