John Doench is the Director of Research and Development in the Genetic Perturbation Platform of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where he is also an Institute Scientist. Doench leads a group focused on the development of functional genomic technologies, first with RNAi and more recently with CRISPR. His team has developed leading bioinformatic tools and screening libraries to enable gene function discovery projects at scale. He collaborates broadly, working with experts in fields such as cancer biology, infectious disease, and immunology, highlighting both his commitment to team-based science and his love of teaching the critical principles of genetic screens.

Prior to joining the Broad in 2009, John did his postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School, received his PhD in Phil Sharp’s lab at MIT, majored in history at Hamilton College, and made many egg sandwiches at the Cresskill Deli. When not working, he enjoys Boston sports, avoiding death on the streets when running or biking, and seeing how severe an eye-roll he can trigger in his daughter with his dad jokes. 

Curriculum vitae; Google Scholar

I graduated from Zhejiang University in 2014 with B.S. in Biological Science, and got my Ph.D. training in Prof. Daniel G. Tenen’s lab in National University of Singapore. My doctorate focused on CRISPR technology development, epigenetics and gene transcription. During my studies, I developed the CRISPR-DiR system for gene specific demethylation and activation. For my postdoc at the Broad, I’ll be focusing on the development of technologies for large-scale studies of functional genomics and epigenomics. In my free time, I love photography, dancing, hiking and travelling – just not during pandemics!

I was raised in the southern part of Ukraine, where the sun shines virtually throughout the entire year; there, my family owns a small but beautiful fruit farm. At the age of 17, I left my home to pursue a medical education, and moved to the Northeast of my country. During my studies, I got interested in science, which led me to pursuing an internship in Northern Finland, studying the kidney organoids and their potential use for bioprinting purposes. During my last years in med school, I took a liberty to travel around China and India a little bit. After graduating, I moved to the capital city of Norway and accomplished a PhD aiming at improving the CRISPR gene editing technology. I love traveling and exploring, I like meeting new people and making friends!

I grew up in Chicago, IL before moving to Austin, TX to pursue my B.S. in Biochemistry at the University of Texas at Austin. While at UT, I looked at the impact of DNA-DNA base pairing on CRISPR-Cas12a target specificity and also (accidentally) began incorporating “y’all” into my daily vocabulary. Outside of science, I enjoy running, weight training, caffeine, and exploring new places with friends!

I was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain, and moved to the suburbs of Philadelphia in 2012. I studied Cell/Molecular Biology and Genetics at Boston University, where I graduated with a BA/MS in 2021. At BU, I worked on researching the role of a schizophrenia-associated gene called Complement component C4. Since graduating, I’ve been a part of GPP, where I have cloned hundreds of CRISPR libraries, designed and executed experiments, and helped optimize internal and external interactions of the group along with some wonderful people. Outside of work, I really enjoy traveling, spending quality time with family and friends, and doing all types of physical activity! 

Born and raised in the small town of Carlisle, MA, where we have no traffic lights but two outstanding ice cream shops. I received my BA in Biochemistry from Wellesley College in 2013 and joined the Broad in the Spring of 2014. Prior to the Broad I worked in several labs around Boston studying a wide variety of topics, from paper-based colorimetric immunoassays to the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on a host's microbiome. After many long evenings I received my Masters in Biotechnology from the Harvard Extension School in 2020. I've enjoyed my many roles within GPP and continue to learn new things every day. In my spare time I like to go off-list at the grocery store and savor the little moments with my growing family.

I am from Southborough, Massachusetts, and I graduated from Colby College with a major in Computational Biology in 2023. While in Maine, I developed my interest in transcriptomics and biostatistics through research with the Bioinformatics Core and Coffman Lab at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory and the Carter Lab at Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor. These experiences allowed me to study the connection between time-of-day-dependent stress responses and proinflammatory phenotypes in zebrafish, the potential of heterogeneous mice as models for Alzheimer's disease, and the influence of genetic background on systemic lupus erythematosus pathology through single cell RNAseq data. Outside of the lab, I enjoy Fall hiking and running in Acadia National Park and catching as many beach sunsets and farmers' markets as I can in Cape Cod. 

I am from Lower Merion, PA (just outside of Philadelphia) and graduated from Rice University with a B.S. in Bioengineering in 2023. In my research at Rice, I studied the epigenome and how to more effectively manipulate the epigenetic environment to have better control over gene expression, most often using CRISPR-based strategies. My favorite things to do outside of work are playing piano, playing soccer, biking, and playing almost any board/card game (I will get overly competitive). 

I grew up in Plainsboro, New Jersey and graduated in 2024 from Johns Hopkins University, where I majored in Biomedical Engineering. During my undergrad, I was involved in computational research within a genomics lab with a focus on lineage tracing, as well as two biomedical design projects addressing ventral hernia recurrence and subjectivity in melanoma screening. I like dancing, cooking/baking, and playing card/board games in my free time.

I grew up in Knoxville, TN, and graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2024 with a degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and German. In undergrad, I was involved in a broad range of research from CRISPR diagnostic assays to preclinical animal studies to immunology work. Outside of work, I like taking pictures on my film (and phone) camera, crocheting, hiking, and hanging out with friends!

After growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, I moved to Boston in 2021 to pursue a degree in Biochemistry at Northeastern University. My undergraduate experience included two internships. The first, at Orna therapeutics, focused on developing mass spectrometry methods to assess novel compounds. The second, at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, centered around the design of cell-based assays for immuno-oncology drug development. In my free time, I enjoy running along the esplanade, reading books in the Common, going to concerts, and trying new restaurants. 

I am from Reno, Nevada and graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Neuroscience. In my undergrad, I studied how the protein, CCSer2, regulates the activity of the motor protein, dynein, in both epithelial cells and neural progenitors. Outside of lab, I love hanging out with my cat, Dustin, going to concerts with friends, and frequenting used record stores.