George Church, a geneticist, molecular engineer, chemist, and prolific entrepreneur, spearheads Synthetic Biology at the Wyss Institute, overseeing the directed evolution of molecules, polymers, and entire genomes to produce innovative tools with applications in regenerative medicine and chemical bio-production. A highlight of his recent work is the creation of a technology for synthesizing whole genes and engineering whole genomes, offering a faster, more accurate, and less costly alternative to existing methods. Church is also the Robert Winthrop Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and a Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and MIT.
Church's innovative contributions to genomic science are well-recognized. In 1984, he developed the first direct genomic sequencing method, leading to the sequencing of the first genome (the human pathogen, H. pylori). He was instrumental in initiating the Human Genome Project in 1984 and the Personal Genome Project in 2005. His laboratory has made significant contributions to "next-generation sequencing" methods and companies. Furthermore, Church has co-founded roughly 50 biotech companies, including Veritas Genetics and its European and Latin American subsidiary, Veritas Intercontinental, and Nebula Genomics, a personal genomics company. In 2018 alone, 16 biotech companies were spun off from the Church laboratory at Harvard. He is a co-founder of Colossal Biosciences, a biotech and genetic engineering company that announced they had revived the dire wolf species in 2025.
Church's molecular multiplexing and tags, homologous recombination methods, and array DNA synthesizers are groundbreaking concepts that have been applied broadly. These innovations have been the foundation for several companies, including Editas (Gene therapy), Gen9bio (Synthetic DNA), and Veritas Genetics (full human genome sequencing). Church also co-invented nanopore sequencing and initiated the Personal Genome Project. His lab encompasses an array of research areas, including genomics, gene therapy, diagnostics, and space biology. Notably, in 2022, Church was named among the most influential people in biopharma by Fierce Pharma.
Lauded as a leading figure in the scientific community, Church was listed in Time 100 as one of the most influential people globally in 2017. As of January 2023, he serves on the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' Board of Sponsors and the Research Advisory Board of the SENS Research Foundation. Church is also a recipient of numerous accolades, including the 2011 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science from the Franklin Institute. He is an elected member of both the National Academy of Sciences and Engineering. In addition to his scientific exploits, Church authored "Regenesis: How Synthetic Biology Will Reinvent Nature and Ourselves," recognized as a "top science book" by New Scientist. Church also contributes regularly to Edge.org publications and videos.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on George Church and other top speakers and celebrities.