Samarth Kulkarni

Samarth Kulkarni has served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CRISPR Therapeutics since 2017. He has significant expertise in strategy and operations in biotech and a wide range of related cutting-edge therapeutic technologies. He joined CRISPR in 2015 in the early stages of the company as Chief Business Officer, and then was appointed to President and Chief Business Officer before becoming CEO.

Prior to joining CRISPR, Kulkarni was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he had a leading role in the Pharmaceutical and Medical products practice. While at McKinsey, he co-led the biotech practice, where he focused on strategy and operations, and led initiatives in areas such as personalized medicine and immunotherapy. Previously, Kulkarni served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Casebia Therapeutics, a joint subsidiary formed by CRISPR Therapeutics and Bayer.

He serves on the Board of Directors of Centessa Pharmaceuticals and two precision oncology companies, Black Diamond Therapeutics and Repare Therapeutics. He has also served on the board of the emerging companies section of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization.

Kulkarni received a Ph.D. in bioengineering and nanotechnology from the University of Washington and a B. Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology. While at the University of Washington, he conducted research on the delivery of biological drugs and in the field of molecular diagnostics. He has authored several publications in leading scientific and business journals.