A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution

Jennifer A. Doudna earned her BA in chemistry from Pomona College in 1985 and her PhD in biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology from Harvard Medical School in 1989. After completing postdoctoral research at the University of Colorado, Boulder, she began her faculty career at Yale University’s Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. In 2002, she joined the University of California, Berkeley, as a professor of chemistry and molecular and cell biology.

Doudna’s early research focused on RNA structure and function. Her laboratory made significant contributions to understanding ribozymes and RNA interference before shifting attention to bacterial immune systems, specifically CRISPR. In 2020, she shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Emmanuelle Charpentier for their development of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing. She has founded several biotechnology companies focused on developing CRISPR-based therapeutics and serves as the president and chair of the Innovative Genomics Institute.

Samuel H. Sternberg completed his PhD in chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, conducting his doctoral research in Doudna’s laboratory from 2010 to 2015. During this period, he contributed to fundamental studies of CRISPR-Cas9 mechanisms and applications. After completing his PhD, he conducted postdoctoral research at the Columbia University Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics.