Jennifer Doudna

Lore & Background

Her father earned a Ph.D. in English literature; her mother held a master's degree in education. When Doudna was seven, the family moved to Hawaii, where her father taught at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Growing up in Hilo, she was fascinated by local flora and fauna. in 1985. She earned a Ph.D. Szostak.

Reader's Guide

Jennifer Doudna's significance lies in her co-discovery that CRISPR-Cas9, bacterial enzymes controlling microbial immunity, could be used for programmable genome editing. Waterman Award. Her work has enabled applications from fundamental cell biology to potential treatments for sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, Huntington's disease, and HIV. She continues to be a thought leader on the ethics of genome editing.

Did You Know?

• Doudna was introduced to CRISPR in 2006 by Jillian Banfield, who found her via a Google search for 'RNAi and UC Berkeley.'
• She took a leave of absence from Berkeley in 2009 to work at Genentech but left after two months to study CRISPR.
• Her Ph.D. dissertation was on a system that increased the efficiency of a self-replicating catalytic RNA.