Rodolphe Barrangou, Ph.D., is T. R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Professor at North Carolina State University (N.C. State). Barrangou is focusing on the characterization of CRISPR-Cas systems and their applications in bacteria and beyond. The work has spanned basic scientific studies to understand and decipher the genetics of CRISPR-Cas systems, as well as developing novel technologies and applying them to develop and formulate next-generation commercial products. Barrangou spent 9 years in research and development and mergers and acquisitions at Danisco and DuPont and has been at N.C. State since 2013.  

For his CRISPR work, Barrangou received several international awards, including the 2016 Canada Gairdner International Award, the 2016 Harvard Medical School Warren Alpert Prize, the 2017 NAS Award in Molecular Biology and the 2018 NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences. He has been elected into the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Inventors, the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the American Academy of Microbiology.  

Barrangou earned a B.S. in biological sciences from Rene Descartes University in Paris, France, an M.S. in biological engineering from the University of Technology in Compiegne, France, an M.S. in food science from N.C. State, a Ph.D. in genomics from N.C. State and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Barrangou is also the former Chairman of the Board of Caribou Biosciences (NASDAQ CRBU), a co-founder of Intellia Therapeutics (NASDAQ NTLA), Locus Biosciences, TreeCo, Ancilia Biosciences and CRISPR Biotechnologies, an advisor to Inari Ag, Invaio, Provaxus and Hoofprint Biome and the Editor in Chief of the CRISPR Journal.