Jacob Hooker, Ph.D.

Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School; Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport MGH Research Scholar; Director of Radiochemistry, Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital


Jacob Hooker holds an associate appointment at the Broad Institute through the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research.  Prof. Hooker currently serves as an Associate Editor for ACS Chemical Neuroscience, is a core faculty member for the MIT LinQ and the Harvard Chemical Biology programs. Dr. Hooker grew up in Asheville NC, received his undergraduate degrees at NC State University and then completed his Ph.D. in chemistry at UC Berkeley.  In 2007, he was named Goldhaber Distinguished Fellow at Brookhaven National Laboratory and in 2009, Dr. Hooker moved to Boston to begin his independent career at MGH and Harvard.  That same year he was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers by President Obama.  The citation from the President noted his strong scientific record and his unique commitment to science mentorship. He has since been recognized by several additional national awards including being named a Kavli Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences, received a NARSAD Independent Investigator Award and was an inaugural recipient of the Talented 12 Award by C&E News.  Prof. Hooker’s lab has the mission of accelerating the study of the living, human brain, and nervous system through development and application of molecular imaging agents.  The lab has developed and patented several imaging technologies for neuroscience including, a first-in-class radiotracer for neuroepigenetic imaging.

Funded Research

These projects were made possible from Cure Alzheimer's Fund support.

Selected Publications

These published papers resulted from Cure Alzheimer’s Fund support.

Bartolo, N. D., Mortimer, N., Manter, M. A., Sanchez, N., Riley, M., O'Malley, T. T., & Hooker, J. M. Identification and Prioritization of PET Neuroimaging Targets for Microglial Phenotypes Associated with Microglial Activity in Alzheimer’s Disease, ACS Chemical Neuroscience, December 6, 2022, Read More