Rodolphe Barrangou is the Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Professor in Probiotics Research in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences at North Carolina State University. He is also a Co-Founder and CEO of CRISPR Biotechnologies, a Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Ancilia Biosciences, a Co-Founder, President, and Chief Scientific Officer of TreeCo, and a Co-Founder and member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Intellia Therapeutics. His research focuses on CRISPR-Cas9 in bacteria.
In 2017, Barrangou was named Editor-in-Chief of The CRISPR Journal, a peer-reviewed journal covering genome editing and CRISPR research. The journal started in February 2018.
In 2018, he was chosen as a member of the National Academy of Sciences. In 2019, he was also chosen as a member of the National Academy of Engineering for his work in discovering CRISPR-Cas genome editing and developing methods to edit genes in microbes, plants, and animals for food and other uses.
Background
Dr. Barrangou's research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, US Department of Agriculture, and grants from his university and other organizations. He previously worked as a part-time professor of Food Science at Pennsylvania State University and as the director of research and development for Genomics at DuPont.
In 2007, Barrangou led a study published in the journal Science that showed how CRISPR helps protect bacteria from viruses. He has worked with Jennifer Doudna to study how Cas9 and RNA work together. As of 2016, he has been awarded 17 patents.
Education
- Bachelor of Science (1996) from Paris Descartes University
- Master of Science (2000) from University of Technology of Compiegne in the field of Biological Engineering
- Master of Science (2000) from North Carolina State University in the field of Food Science
- Doctor of Philosophy (2004) from North Carolina State University in the field of Functional Genomics
- Executive Master of Business Administration (2011) from University of Wisconsin–Madison
Awards
- Received the 2018 NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences
- Received the 2017 NAS Award in Molecular Biology
- Received the 2016 Canada Gairdner International Award
- Received the 2016 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize
- Recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher by Thomson Reuters (I-2878-2014)
- Named a 2015 NC State University Faculty Scholar
- Received the 2014 NC State Alumni Association Outstanding Research Award
- Inducted into Phi Tau Sigma, the Honor Society for Food Science in 2014
- Received the 2011 NC State Food Science Outstanding Young Alumni Award
- Received the 2008 Danisco Innovation Award
- Awarded the 2003 National Science Foundation IGERT Fellowship