CLEVELAND, OH—August 12, 2025—The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is proud to present The Science of CRISPR, a special evening with Dr. Jennifer Doudna, Nobel Prize–winning biochemist and Founder of the Innovative Genomics Institute, on Thursday, September 11, 2025, in Murch Auditorium. This moderated conversation will delve into Dr. Doudna’s groundbreaking development of CRISPR-Cas9 as a genome engineering technology that has transformed the biological sciences and sparked global conversations about the ethics of gene editing. Audiences will gain deeper insight into the science behind CRISPR and its profound implications for human health, agriculture, and society.
This event is part of the Museum’s new series The Science of..., a platform for thought-provoking discussions featuring leading scientists and experts from around the globe. Each program in the series takes the public behind the scenes of cutting-edge research and scientific advancement. The Science of CRISPR is also a featured program in the Museum’s Linda and Les Vinney Know Your World Lecture Series, which brings renowned thinkers and changemakers to Cleveland.
“We are honored to welcome Dr. Doudna to the Museum,” said Sonia Winner, Museum President & CEO. “Her work has changed the way we approach human health and innovation, and her thoughtful leadership continues to shape important conversations about ethics and progress in science.”
About Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D.
Dr. Jennifer Doudna is a biochemist at the University of California, Berkeley. Her groundbreaking development of CRISPR-Cas9—a genome engineering technology that allows researchers to edit DNA—with collaborator Emmanuelle Charpentier earned the two the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and forever changed the course of human and agricultural genomics research.
Dr. Doudna is also the Founder of the Innovative Genomics Institute, the Li Ka Shing chancellor’s chair in Biomedical and Health Sciences, and a member of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Gladstone Institutes, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is a leader in the global public debate on the responsible use of CRISPR and has co-founded and serves on the advisory panel of several companies that use the technology in unique ways.
Dr. Doudna is the co-author of A Crack in Creation, a personal account of her research and the societal and ethical implications of gene editing.
About the Cleveland Museum of Natural History
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History illuminates the world around us and inspires visitors to engage with the natural forces that shape their lives. Since its founding in 1920, the Museum has pioneered scientific research to advance knowledge across diverse fields of study and used its outstanding collections, which encompass millions of artifacts and specimens, to deepen the public’s understanding of the dynamic connections between humans and nature. Through its Natural Areas Program, the Museum stewards more than 12,500 acres of protected ecosystems across northern Ohio. A community gathering place, educational center, and research institution, the Museum is a vital resource that serves Cleveland and the nation. For more information, visit CMNH.org.
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