Craig Venter

Craig Venter sequenced the first draft human genome, built the first synthetic bacterial cell, and spent decades decoding the genetic blueprints that shape human health and disease. Founder of the J. Craig Venter Institute and one of the most-cited scientists in history, he authored more than 280 research articles, earned the US National Medal of Science, and founded a string of pioneering ventures — from Celera Genomics to Human Longevity, Inc. — that changed what's possible in biology. He also sailed the world's oceans to catalogue microbial diversity, and he championed presymptomatic genomic testing as a tool for living longer and better. He also built a first-of-its-kind center pairing deep genomic sequencing with AI-powered imaging to transform how women are diagnosed and cared for.