Kursad Turksen received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto in the area of osteoprogenitor biology and cell selection methodologies. He then did postdoctoral training at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Chicago, studying epidermal biology through use of genetically-altered mouse models. He joined the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute [previously known as the Loeb Research Institute] where he rose to the position of Senior Scientist in the Division of Regenerative Medicine. His research interests focus on stem cell biology, with a particular interest in the Claudin family of tight junction proteins and their role in epidermal lineage commitment and progression during development in health and disease. Dr. Turksen is currently Editor in Chief of the Springer journal Stem Cell Reviews and Reports in addition to serving as series editor for the Springer series Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.