George M. Church

Who is George M. Church?

George Church is professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and

Director of the Center for Computational Genetics. With degrees from

Duke University in chemistry and zoology, he co-authored research on

3D-software and RNA structure with Sung-Hou Kim. His Ph.D. from Harvard

in biochemistry and molecular biology with Wally Gilbert included the

first direct genomic sequencing method in 1984; initiating the Human

Genome Project then as a Research Scientist at newly-formed Biogen Inc.

and a Monsanto Life Sciences Research Fellow at UCSF. He invented the

broadly-applied concepts of molecular multiplexing and tags, homologous

recombination methods, and array DNA synthesizers. Technology transfer

of automated sequencing and software to Genome Therapeutics Corp.

resulted in the first commercial genome sequence (the human pathogen, H. pylori,

1994). He has served in advisory roles for 12 journals, 5 granting

agencies and over 20 biotech companies. Current research focuses on

integrating biosystems-modeling with personal genomics and synthetic

biology.