Trachette Jackson: A Career of Research Serving the World

Article by Wendy Sutton

Office of the Vice President for Research

As a high school student, Trachette Jackson participated in a summer math program for underrepresented minorities at Arizona State University. Surrounded by brilliant minds from diverse backgrounds who, like her, had forsaken the typical teenage ideal of summer fun to learn mathematics, Jackson felt a profound sense of belonging. It was here that she recognized the transformative power of affinity groups in academia. The experience would impact the trajectory of Jackson’s career path in more ways than she could have anticipated. 

Several years later, Jackson returned to Arizona State University where she earned a BSc in mathematics, graduating summa cum laude with university honors and honors in her major. But it was during her graduate studies that she was first introduced to cancer modeling.

“The emerging field of cancer modeling was not on my radar at all until I was a graduate student in the applied math department at the University of Washington,” Jackson professes. “My department sponsored a student-run applied math clinic. Researchers from local industries and faculty from around the university would present problems to a group of eager graduate students who would team up to devise ways of using mathematics to address them.” 

During one session, a chemist from the Seattle-based pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb introduced a new cancer drug delivery approach requiring optimization. Jackson saw mathematical modeling and computation written all over it. From there, the rest was history. The project not only became her dissertation, but also marked the beginning of a lifelong dedication to the field of mathematical oncology. 

Flowchart for simulating an agent-based model (ABM) of cancer undergoing combination therapy (left panel).  Temporal storyboards of spatial tumor evolution are shown as 2D slices (center panel) and in 3D (right panel).  Blue = low antigen (LA) wildtype (WT) cells, orange = LA, FGFR3 mutant cells, yellow = high antigen (HA) wildtype (WT) cells, purple = HA, FGFR3 mutant cells, pink = CD8+ T cells engaged in Fas-FasL killing, green = CD8+ T cells perforin-mediated killing, white = unengaged CD8+ T cells, and black = exhausted CD8+ T cells. Credit: Trachette Jackson.

In 2000, Jackson accepted an assistant professor position in the math department at the University of Michigan. Throughout the early years of Jackson’s career, mathematical biology did not yet exist as it does today. Unlike the well-established relationship between math and physics, math and biology were viewed as distinct, separate disciplines. However, throughout Jackson’s career, the synergy between these once disparate disciplines emerged. The growing capability to generate accurate models of biological processes has widened the scope of applications and deepened our understanding in areas such as disease, ecology and evolution.

An applied mathematician by training, Jackson considers herself a mathematical or computational oncologist. She designs models to optimize the use of anticancer agents that specifically target active molecular pathways that cancer cells use to promote their growth and survival. Jackson hopes that collaborative research, cutting across traditional disciplinary boundaries will eventually change the face of cancer research.

Her work involves using mathematical and computational modeling to dissect every aspect of tumor growth, from the initial genetic mutation and tumorigenesis to metastasis and the body’s response to treatment. Jackson has specialized in developing complex multiscale agent-based models that predict tumor growth, cancer dynamics and the effectiveness of molecular therapeutics. While these models are widely recognized for their invaluable predictive power, they demand immense computational resources due to the scale of the simulations.

Recognizing the importance of these large simulations, where a single cubic millimeter of tumor tissue contains hundreds of millions, if not billions of agents, Jackson leads efforts to connect these computationally expensive and intricate models to noisy, sparse experimental data. 

Source: OVPR

After two decades of significant contributions to mathematical oncology, Jackson’s desire to foster diverse academic communities, borne from her high school summer math program at Arizona State University, took a new turn. In 2022, Jackson was named the inaugural Assistant Vice President for Research – DEI Initiatives in the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR). Just over a year later, she was elevated to Associate Vice President for Research – DEI Initiatives.

The math program that had set her on this path so long ago had welcomed African Americans, Native Americans and Hispanic Americans. “I had never been around such a like-minded and culturally similar learning environment,” Jackson, who came from a predominantly white high school, revealed. “I saw from an early age the power of affinity. We sparked and propelled each other to do better, be better and achieve more.” 

The program’s profound impact awoke Jackson to the possibilities. “That program made me want to create something,” said Jackson. “Maybe not recreate that program but create something that could have a similar impact on students of color wherever I ended up.” 

Tasked with developing a clear mission and vision, Jackson and her newly formed DEI Initiatives team in OVPR articulated the fundamental role of DEI in driving innovative research, scholarship and creative practice. “That’s the vision that inspires us,” Jackson reveals, “to cultivate a research ecosystem of inclusive excellence where everyone’s perspectives and unique talents can transform research and scholarship that equitably benefits our university, our state, our country, and beyond. OVPR’S mantra is ‘Research to Serve the World’ and I want to make sure that we are equitably serving the world.”

Jackson’s appointment began at the end of DEI 1.0, which concentrated on examining staff demographics, climate and culture within OVPR. As Jackson and her team moved forward with DEI 2.0, the focus shifted to integrating DEI strategies into OVPR’s externally facing roles, branching out to all faculty researchers dependent on OVPR’s service. However, due to OVPR’s size, with three main branches encompassing roughly 40 subunits, it was a challenge to prioritize efforts within such a sizable unit.

To combat this, the team aligned the DEI 2.0 objectives directly with OVPR’s overarching research strategic plan, infusing DEI into the highest priority initiatives. At the onset, Jackson guided her team in identifying core values specific to the DEI planning process, which would not only reflect the unique principles of their initiative but would also act as a guide when navigating challenges. 

Despite nearly two decades as a faculty researcher at the university, Jackson’s transition to a role within OVPR provided a crash course in the inner workings of the university’s research enterprise. “I have learned so much in the last two years in this role,” Jackson said. “As a faculty researcher I was content working within the confines of existing norms. Now, in this role, I’m inclined to be an agent of change in this research space.” 

Simulation pipeline: In vivo data from RAG KO1 and C57BL/6J mice calibrate key parameters in ODE and agent-based models to simulate virtual tumors and virtual patient cohorts and predict therapeutic outcomes of anti-PD1 immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Source: doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.03.601920

In 2021, Jackson was honored with the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) fellowship for her innovative contributions to mathematical modeling in cancer biology and for the advancement of underrepresented minorities in science. She was surprised, however, upon discovering that she was the first African American to receive the honor. “There are so many deserving people who came before me,” Jackson reflects. “It’s a sobering moment to realize that in 2021, I was the first.” 

Two years later, in 2023, Jackson was also awarded the Leah Edelstein-Keshet Prize by the Society of Mathematical Biology, named for the first female president of the society renowned for her scientific achievements in mathematical biology and biophysics. “I was just overwhelmingly honored to be recognized in this way by my peers,” Jackson recalls, finding it both encouraging and heartwarming that her work’s impact and longevity have resonated within the field.

This recognition has inspired her to advocate for future awardees, highlighting the importance of representation in the mathematical sciences. “It’s critically important for students to see that the field recognizes, respects and shines a light on all kinds of people who are doing this work. It is not just one particular type of researcher that can be excellent in this space.” 

Trachette Jackson’s career, marked by groundbreaking research and steadfast advocacy, has not only advanced the field of mathematical oncology, promising improved outcomes for cancer patients, but has also paved the way for a rising generation, enabling diverse talents to thrive in academia and beyond.