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. The latter probably did the most to prepare him for working with the aforementioned experts in the MIT and Harvard communities. When not working, he enjoys Boston sports (well, a bit less, nowadays), avoiding death on the streets of Boston 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

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 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 grew up in Eagan, MN before moving to Duluth to study Biochemistry and Biology at The College of St. Scholastica. As CSS I was on the Cross Country Running, Track and Nordic Ski teams. I was also involved in various projects including constitutive promoter integration into the S. cerevisiae genome, RNAi-aptmer chimera generation and some work investigating the role of developmental genes eya2 and eya3 in development/cancer. When I’m not in the lab you can expect to find me outdoors running, skiing or just exploring.

In 2021, I received a B.S in statistics and mathematics from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. At UW-Madison, I worked on a methodology for polygenic risk scores and applications for nature and nature's statistical frameworks. In my free time, I like to watch anime, read manga or novels, dance, and sleep. 

I grew up in Holliston, Massachusetts before earning a BA in Chemistry at Franklin & Marshall College. At F&M, I worked in a lab that studies trace-metal sequestration in ocean sediments. I also took part in oceanographic research in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre during a SEA Semester in Summer 2021. Throughout college, I took clarinet and bass clarinet lessons and played in the school orchestra and wind ensemble. In my free time, I enjoy reading, napping, listening to music, and exploring outdoors.

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 suburban Chicago, IL, and moved to the East Coast to attend Wesleyan University, where I studied Biochemistry and Spanish Literature. As an undergraduate, I spent my time working on various genetic and cancer epidemiology studies, making lattes at a local café, and playing frisbee. In my free time, I enjoy running, solving crossword puzzles, and finding new coffee shops.

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 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).