Lecturer: J. Craig Venter, J. Craig Venter Institute, San Diego, CA

 

J. Craig Venter is a biologist renowned for his contributions in sequencing the first draft human genome in 2001, the first complete diploid human genome in 2007 and construction of the first synthetic bacterial cell in 2010. He is founder, chairman, and CEO of the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), founder and CEO of the company, Synthetic Genomics Inc (SGI), and a co-founder and CEO of Human Longevity Inc (HLI). He and his teams are focused on a variety of projects and programs including: synthetic genomic research and the application of these advances to develop new biofuels, vaccines, and food and nutritional products; continued analysis of the human genome including the human microbiome, and discovering and understanding genetic diversity in the world’s oceans. Dr. Venter is a recipient of the 2008 National Medal of Science and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He is the author of Life at the Speed of Light: From the Double Helix to the Dawn of Digital Life (Viking, 2013) and A Life Decoded: My Genome: My Life (Viking, 2007).