Rachel Elizabeth Haurwitz (born May 20, 1985) is an American biochemist and structural biologist. She is the co-founder, chief executive officer, and president of Caribou Biosciences, a genome editing company.
Early life and education
Haurwitz was born on May 20, 1985.[citation needed] She grew up in Austin, Texas.[1] Her mother is an elementary school teacher and her father, an environmental journalist.[2]
Haurwitz began researching RNA during her undergraduate years.[3] She attended Harvard College where she earned an undergraduate degree. In 2007, she began doctoral studies at University of California, Berkeley. At the age of 21,[4] Haurwitz began working as a graduate student in Jennifer Doudna's laboratory, in 2008 where she completed her doctorate in molecular and cell biology.[5] Haurwitz originally intended on becoming an intellectual property lawyer for biotechnology patents but later chose to continue in science.[6]
Career
In 2011, Haurwitz and Doudna co-founded Caribou Biosciences, a gene editing spinout-startup company.[7] Haurwitz is the company's CEO and president. She holds several patents for CRISPR-based technologies.[5] The firm was initially housed in the basement of the building that housed Doudna's laboratory. The company supports the commercialization[8] of CRISPR technology in healthcare and agriculture.[9] Its researchers explore issues in antimicrobial resistance, food scarcity, and vaccine shortages.[9] The company licensed Berkeley's CRISPR patent and deals with agricultural and pharmaceutical companies and research firms.[10] In 2018, Haurwitz announced that the firm was shifting focus on medicine and developing cancer therapies targeting microbes.[2]
Personal life
She is a long-distance runner and is training for a marathon.[9] Haurwitz knits as a hobby.[6]
Recognition
In 2021, Haurwitz was selected as a Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst. As part of the program, she attended the annual New Economy Forum held in Singapore, and the Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst Retreat that same year.[11]
