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George Church

Ph.D.

Director, NHGRI Center for Excellence in Genomic Science

Robert Winthrop Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School

Professor of Health Sciences and Technology, Harvard and MIT

Founding Core Faculty and Lead, Wyss Institute, Harvard University

Dr. Church  is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a founding member of the Wyss Institute, and Director of PersonalGenomes.org, the world’s only open-access information on human genomic, environmental, and trait data. Dr. Church is Director of IARPA & NIH BRAIN Projects, and Director of the National Institutes of Health Center for Excellence in Genomic Science. 

Dr. Church is known for pioneering the fields of personal genomics and synthetic biology. He developed the first methods for the first genome sequence & dramatic cost reductions since then (down from $3 billion to $600), contributing to nearly all “next generation sequencing” methods and companies. His team invented CRISPR for human stem cell genome editing and other synthetic biology technologies and applications – including new ways to create organs for transplantation, gene therapies for aging reversal, and gene drives to eliminate Lyme Disease and Malaria. He has co-authored more than 590 papers and 155 patent publications, and one book, “Regenesis”.

He has received numerous awards including the 2011 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science from the Franklin Institute, the Time 100, and election to the National Academy of Sciences and Engineering.

George Church

Ph.D.

Director, NHGRI Center for Excellence in Genomic Science

Robert Winthrop Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School

Professor of Health Sciences and Technology, Harvard and MIT

Founding Core Faculty and Lead, Wyss Institute, Harvard University

Dr. Church  is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a founding member of the Wyss Institute, and Director of PersonalGenomes.org, the world’s only open-access information on human genomic, environmental, and trait data. Dr. Church is Director of IARPA & NIH BRAIN Projects, and Director of the National Institutes of Health Center for Excellence in Genomic Science. 

Dr. Church is known for pioneering the fields of personal genomics and synthetic biology. He developed the first methods for the first genome sequence & dramatic cost reductions since then (down from $3 billion to $600), contributing to nearly all “next generation sequencing” methods and companies. His team invented CRISPR for human stem cell genome editing and other synthetic biology technologies and applications – including new ways to create organs for transplantation, gene therapies for aging reversal, and gene drives to eliminate Lyme Disease and Malaria. He has co-authored more than 590 papers and 155 patent publications, and one book, “Regenesis”.

He has received numerous awards including the 2011 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science from the Franklin Institute, the Time 100, and election to the National Academy of Sciences and Engineering.

Recent Publications

Elective genomic sequencing for adults in research, clinical and commercial contexts

Published On 2026 Jul 04

Journal article

CONCLUSIONS: Early adopters of EGS are motivated by general interest in their health as well as quasi-indication-based considerations such as family history. A majority of participants learned results they considered medically important, but a much smaller segment engaged healthcare providers with their results.


Elective genomic sequencing for adults in research, clinical and commercial contexts

Published On 2026 Jun 29

Journal article

CONCLUSIONS: Early adopters of EGS are motivated by general interest in their health as well as quasi-indication-based considerations such as family history. A majority of participants learned results they considered medically important, but a much smaller segment engaged healthcare providers with their results.