05/01/2026
We were saddened to learn of the passing of Craig Venter, a pioneer whose work helped shape modern biology.
ISB Co-founder Lee Hood shared the following reflection:
“Craig Venter will long be remembered for his innovation across many different fields. He was a pioneer in high-throughput biology, using automated DNA sequencing to identify populations of mRNAs in cells, organs, and whole human individuals.
Craig established Celera, a for-profit company, to determine the entire DNA sequence of the human genome — and to push the sequencing of large DNA fragments that made possible the effective assembly of DNA into the 25 human chromosomes.
He synthesized, for the first time, a small microbe — the first functional synthetic organism — opening the field of synthetic biology. And from his yacht, he sampled seawater across vast regions of the Pacific Ocean to define the DNA sequences of microbes living in these environments.
Brisk, confident, aggressive, and innovative — Craig had the traits that helped open at least five major fields of biology. He will not be forgotten.”
Read more about Venter’s life via The New York Times:
A risk-taking outsider, he brought speed, competition and controversy to one of science’s biggest races.
