Jennifer Doudna Named to 2015 “TIME 100”

IGI’s Jennifer Doudna has been named to the 2015 TIME 100, Time Magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.  The full list of honorees and related tributes will appear in the April 27th issue of Time Magazine, available on newsstands and tablets on Friday, April 17.

Dr. Doudna’s research has been at the forefront of the CRISPR-Cas9 genomic editing revolution since she invented the technique in 2012.  CRISPR-Cas9 is a precision DNA editing tool that allows researchers to make specific changes to the genetic code of cells and organisms.  It is currently being used by researchers worldwide to address a multitude of applications in human health, agriculture and bioenergy.  Dr. Doudna is the Executive Director of the Innovative Genomics Initiative (IGI), a globally focused initiative leading research collaborations and public discourse on CRISPR/Cas9 technology, and committed to advancing our understanding of the ways in which genomic information can be harnessed in order to bring about fundamental change in biological and biomedical research by enabling scientists to read and edit genomes with equal ease.

The TIME 100 list, now in its twelfth year, recognizes the activism, innovation and achievement of the world’s most influential individuals.  As Time Magazine Editor Nancy Gibbs has said of the list in the past, “The TIME 100 is a list of the world’s most influential men and women, not its most powerful, though those are not mutually exclusive terms …. While power is certain, influence is subtle…. As much as this exercise chronicles the achievements of the past year, we also focus on figures whose influence is likely to grow, so we can look around the corner to see what is coming.”