Jared Franklin Purton (March 1976 – December 2009) was an Australian-born immunologist who contributed to the understanding of how T cells function through his academic research.

After his death in a car accident in 2009,[1][2] the Jared F. Purton Foundation was set up in his memory to support charitable causes in the San Diego area.

He helped organise fundraisers for cancer research, and volunteered his time at a camp in Pasadena, California, for children affected by HIV and AIDS.

He was commended for the 2002 Victorian Premier's Awards for Medical Research[5] and won the Mollie Holman Medal for Excellence in a PhD Thesis on graduation.

[10] A second memorial service was later held in his home town of Melbourne where over 500 people attended the Salvation Army Hall in Camberwell, Victoria.

The Scripps Research postdoctoral group Society of Fellows also created the Jared Purton Award "in loving memory of our esteemed colleague".