George Church

George Church is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at both Harvard and MIT. He leads the Synthetic Biology program at the Wyss Institute, where his work focuses on directed evolution of molecules, polymers, and whole genomes for applications in regenerative medicine and bio-production. Notably, his recent developments include a technology for synthesizing genes and engineering genomes more efficiently and cost-effectively than existing methods. A pioneer in genomic science, George developed the first direct genomic sequencing method in 1984, which led to the first genome sequence of the human pathogen H. pylori. He also played a key role in initiating the Human Genome Project and the Personal Genome Project. George’s innovations, including molecular multiplexing, homologous recombination, and array DNA synthesizers, have paved the way for companies like Editas, Gen9bio, and Veritas Genetics. He has received numerous honors, including the 2011 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science and election to the National Academy of Sciences and Engineering.