Team

  • Core
  • Board of Directors
  • Scientific Advisory Board
Core
  • Core
  • Board of Directors
  • Scientific Advisory Board
  • Daniel Wiegand, MSChE

    Co-founder, CEO

    Daniel is Co-founder, CEO and Board Director of EnPlusOne Bio. Previously, Daniel was an Advanced Technology Team staff member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and Dr. George Church’s lab at Harvard Medical School. At the Wyss, Daniel was extensively involved in developing translational technology revolving around microarray based high throughput DNA/RNA oligonucleotide library synthesis, large scale gene assembly and fluorescence in situ gene sequencing (FISSEQ). During his tenure at the Wyss Institute, Daniel lead the development of several cell free protein expression systems from non-standard bacteria such as Vibrio natriegens, Streptomyces coelicolor and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. His passion for protein engineering, mutagenesis and high-throughput expression techniques led to the development of novel enzymes that are currently being used to build a next-generation RNA oligonucleotide synthesis & manufacturing platform at EnPlusOne Bio. Daniel received his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University.

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    Daniel Wiegand, MSChE

    Co-founder, CEO

    Daniel is Co-founder, CEO and Board Director of EnPlusOne Bio. Previously, Daniel was an Advanced Technology Team staff member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and Dr. George Church’s lab at Harvard Medical School. At the Wyss, Daniel was extensively involved in developing translational technology revolving around microarray based high throughput DNA/RNA oligonucleotide library synthesis, large scale gene assembly and fluorescence in situ gene sequencing (FISSEQ). During his tenure at the Wyss Institute, Daniel lead the development of several cell free protein expression systems from non-standard bacteria such as Vibrio natriegens, Streptomyces coelicolor and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. His passion for protein engineering, mutagenesis and high-throughput expression techniques led to the development of novel enzymes that are currently being used to build a next-generation RNA oligonucleotide synthesis & manufacturing platform at EnPlusOne Bio. Daniel received his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University.

    Education & Affiliations

  • Jonathan Rittichier, PhD

    Co-founder, CSO

    Jonathan is Co-founder and CSO of EnPlusOne Bio. He performed his graduate work in organic synthesis at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. During his time there, he secured a Briscoe Fellowship and worked in the laboratory of Professor Michael Vannieuwenhze. Much of this work was toward synthesizing 1) novel fluorescent probes to spy on bacteria and 2) macrocyclic natural products to kill them. He joined George Church’s Research Group at Harvard Medical School where he helped develop an enzymatic RNA synthesis platform that formed the technical basis of EnPlusOne Bio. Jonathan earned his BS in Chemistry from Indiana Wesleyan University and a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Indiana University.

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    Jonathan Rittichier, PhD

    Co-founder, CSO

    Jonathan is Co-founder and CSO of EnPlusOne Bio. He performed his graduate work in organic synthesis at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. During his time there, he secured a Briscoe Fellowship and worked in the laboratory of Professor Michael Vannieuwenhze. Much of this work was toward synthesizing 1) novel fluorescent probes to spy on bacteria and 2) macrocyclic natural products to kill them. He joined George Church’s Research Group at Harvard Medical School where he helped develop an enzymatic RNA synthesis platform that formed the technical basis of EnPlusOne Bio. Jonathan earned his BS in Chemistry from Indiana Wesleyan University and a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Indiana University.

    Education & Affiliations

  • Dan Ahlstedt, MBA

    Co-founder, COO

    Dan is Co-founder, COO, and Board Director of EnPlusOne Bio. He joined the team while attending business school and was introduced to the scientific co-founders through participation in the Nucleate Program at Harvard. During this experience, Dan became convinced EnPlusOne had the technology and team to tackle the many problems facing RNA synthesis. Upon graduation, Dan was selected as a Blavatnik Fellow in Life Science Entrepreneurship which provided resources and mentorship instrumental in founding EnPlusOne. Working in the cutting-edge space of RNA is well-aligned with his passion for the biotechnology industry and rare diseases. Previously, he worked at Sanofi as a process engineer supporting large scale cGMP manufacturing of enzyme replacement therapies. Most recently, he led the design, construction, and validation of purification operations for a new continuous biomanufacturing facility, awarded the 2020 ISPE Facility of the Year. Dan earned his BS in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

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    Dan Ahlstedt, MBA

    Co-founder, COO

    Dan is Co-founder, COO, and Board Director of EnPlusOne Bio. He joined the team while attending business school and was introduced to the scientific co-founders through participation in the Nucleate Program at Harvard. During this experience, Dan became convinced EnPlusOne had the technology and team to tackle the many problems facing RNA synthesis. Upon graduation, Dan was selected as a Blavatnik Fellow in Life Science Entrepreneurship which provided resources and mentorship instrumental in founding EnPlusOne. Working in the cutting-edge space of RNA is well-aligned with his passion for the biotechnology industry and rare diseases. Previously, he worked at Sanofi as a process engineer supporting large scale cGMP manufacturing of enzyme replacement therapies. Most recently, he led the design, construction, and validation of purification operations for a new continuous biomanufacturing facility, awarded the 2020 ISPE Facility of the Year. Dan earned his BS in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

    Education & Affiliations

  • George Church, PhD

    Co-founder, Advisor

    George is Co-founder and Scientific Advisor of EnPlusOne Bio. He leads Synthetic Biology at the Wyss Institute, where he oversees the directed evolution of molecules, polymers and whole genomes to create new tools with applications in regenerative medicine and bioproduction of chemicals. Among his recent work at the Wyss, is development of a technology for synthesizing whole genes and engineering whole genomes, far faster, more accurate, and less costly than current methods. George is widely recognized for his innovative contributions to genomic science and his many pioneering contributions to chemistry and biomedicine. In 1984, he developed the first direct genomic sequencing method, which resulted in the first genome sequence (the human pathogen, H. pylori). He helped initiate the Human Genome Project in 1984 and the Personal Genome Project in 2005. George invented the broadly applied concepts of molecular multiplexing and tags, homologous recombination methods, and array DNA synthesizers.

    His many innovations have been the basis for a number of companies including Editas (Gene therapy), Gen9bio (Synthetic DNA), Veritas & Nebula (full human genome). George is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has been Director of the U.S. Department of Energy Technology Center and Director of the National Institutes of Health Center of Excellence in Genomic Science. He has received numerous awards including the 2011 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science from the Franklin Institute and election to the National Academy of Sciences and Engineering.

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    George Church, PhD

    Co-founder, Advisor

    George is Co-founder and Scientific Advisor of EnPlusOne Bio. He leads Synthetic Biology at the Wyss Institute, where he oversees the directed evolution of molecules, polymers and whole genomes to create new tools with applications in regenerative medicine and bioproduction of chemicals. Among his recent work at the Wyss, is development of a technology for synthesizing whole genes and engineering whole genomes, far faster, more accurate, and less costly than current methods. George is widely recognized for his innovative contributions to genomic science and his many pioneering contributions to chemistry and biomedicine. In 1984, he developed the first direct genomic sequencing method, which resulted in the first genome sequence (the human pathogen, H. pylori). He helped initiate the Human Genome Project in 1984 and the Personal Genome Project in 2005. George invented the broadly applied concepts of molecular multiplexing and tags, homologous recombination methods, and array DNA synthesizers.

    His many innovations have been the basis for a number of companies including Editas (Gene therapy), Gen9bio (Synthetic DNA), Veritas & Nebula (full human genome). George is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has been Director of the U.S. Department of Energy Technology Center and Director of the National Institutes of Health Center of Excellence in Genomic Science. He has received numerous awards including the 2011 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science from the Franklin Institute and election to the National Academy of Sciences and Engineering.

    Education & Affiliations

  • Zeynep Yurtsever, PhD

    Senior Scientist – Biochemistry

    Zeynep is a Senior Scientist at EnPlusOne Bio. Building on her background in computational and inorganic chemistry, she moved into the protein biochemistry and X-ray crystallography field during her graduate studies to characterize novel enzymes and elucidate protein-protein interaction mechanisms. She continued studying difficult protein complexes for structure-based drug design projects as a postdoctoral researcher at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In the industry, she has worked at Pfizer focusing on biophysical characterization and developability assessments of antibody-based drug modalities in the pre-clinical space, and later at a stealth-level biotech company focusing on protein expression and purification, as well as functional assay development. Zeynep earned her BS in Chemistry from Koç University in Turkey and her PhD in Biology and Biomedical Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis.

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    Zeynep Yurtsever, PhD

    Senior Scientist – Biochemistry

    Zeynep is a Senior Scientist at EnPlusOne Bio. Building on her background in computational and inorganic chemistry, she moved into the protein biochemistry and X-ray crystallography field during her graduate studies to characterize novel enzymes and elucidate protein-protein interaction mechanisms. She continued studying difficult protein complexes for structure-based drug design projects as a postdoctoral researcher at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In the industry, she has worked at Pfizer focusing on biophysical characterization and developability assessments of antibody-based drug modalities in the pre-clinical space, and later at a stealth-level biotech company focusing on protein expression and purification, as well as functional assay development. Zeynep earned her BS in Chemistry from Koç University in Turkey and her PhD in Biology and Biomedical Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis.

    Education & Affiliations

  • Ella Meyer

    Associate Scientist – Biochemistry

    Ella is an Associate Scientist at EnPlusOne, focusing on biochemical research. She recently graduated from Georgetown University, where she completed a thesis on small molecule binding sites in intrinsically disordered proteins. Ella previously worked at Northpond Ventures and the Wyss Institute, where she met the EnPlusOne team. She was so impressed with the team and the technology that she returned to EnPlusOne after graduation. Ella received her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Georgetown University.

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    Ella Meyer

    Associate Scientist – Biochemistry

    Ella is an Associate Scientist at EnPlusOne, focusing on biochemical research. She recently graduated from Georgetown University, where she completed a thesis on small molecule binding sites in intrinsically disordered proteins. Ella previously worked at Northpond Ventures and the Wyss Institute, where she met the EnPlusOne team. She was so impressed with the team and the technology that she returned to EnPlusOne after graduation. Ella received her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Georgetown University.

    Education & Affiliations

  • Dominic Rainone, MS

    Associate Scientist – Chemistry

    Dominic is an Associate Scientist at EnPlusOne Bio., specializing in organic synthesis. He is a recent graduate from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. While attending university, Dominic worked as a Research Intern for the Lencer and Loddenkemper laboratories at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital. His undergraduate research was focused on the synthesis of ultra-pure fluorescent probes for inclusion in plastic scintillators. His Master’s Thesis concerned the synthesis of a dopamine agonist as a drug target for cocaine abuse disorder. 

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    Dominic Rainone, MS

    Associate Scientist – Chemistry

    Dominic is an Associate Scientist at EnPlusOne Bio., specializing in organic synthesis. He is a recent graduate from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. While attending university, Dominic worked as a Research Intern for the Lencer and Loddenkemper laboratories at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital. His undergraduate research was focused on the synthesis of ultra-pure fluorescent probes for inclusion in plastic scintillators. His Master’s Thesis concerned the synthesis of a dopamine agonist as a drug target for cocaine abuse disorder. 

    Education & Affiliations

  • Brett Ford

    Research Assistant – Chemistry

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    Brett Ford

    Research Assistant – Chemistry

    Education & Affiliations

  • Lucas Govert

    Associate Scientist – Bioprocessing

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    Lucas Govert

    Associate Scientist – Bioprocessing

    Education & Affiliations

  • Devon Lindsey

    Associate Scientist – Biochemistry

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    Devon Lindsey

    Associate Scientist – Biochemistry

    Education & Affiliations

  • Howon Lee, PhD

    Co-founder

    Dr. Howon Lee is a former Post Doctoral Fellow in Dr. George Church’s Laboratory at Harvard Medical School and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. Howon is an expert electrical and photonics engineer. Throughout his carrier, he invented several novel devices for optically synthesizing and purifying DNA, RNA and was extensively involved in lab spin-off companies (QuantaMatrix Inc, Celemics Inc) in South Korea. He contributed to EnPlusOne Biosciences by prototyping a first-generation enzymatic oligonucleotide synthesizer. Howon earned his BS, MS in Electrical Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Nanoscience and Technology from Seoul National University. He is currently employed as a Staff Scientist at Singular Genomics.

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    Howon Lee, PhD

    Co-founder

    Dr. Howon Lee is a former Post Doctoral Fellow in Dr. George Church’s Laboratory at Harvard Medical School and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. Howon is an expert electrical and photonics engineer. Throughout his carrier, he invented several novel devices for optically synthesizing and purifying DNA, RNA and was extensively involved in lab spin-off companies (QuantaMatrix Inc, Celemics Inc) in South Korea. He contributed to EnPlusOne Biosciences by prototyping a first-generation enzymatic oligonucleotide synthesizer. Howon earned his BS, MS in Electrical Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Nanoscience and Technology from Seoul National University. He is currently employed as a Staff Scientist at Singular Genomics.

    Education & Affiliations

  • Steven Kasok

    Board Chair

    Steve Kasok is an operationally oriented financial executive with broad life science expertise. He co-founded and served as CFO of Brammer Bio and Gallus Biopharmaceuticals which are both now part of Thermo Fisher Scientific. He previously served on the Boards of Cognate Bioservices and Brammer Bio. His operational responsibilities have included Finance, Business Development, Human Resources, Information Technology and the Legal functions. Kasok’s broader industry experiences included roles as Vice President and Treasurer of Millipore Corporation, CFO of Cabot Supermetals, and Treasurer and Business Development Officer at Haemonetics Corp, and a variety of roles in GE. He earned a BS in Finance from Clarkson University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

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    Steven Kasok

    Board Chair

    Steve Kasok is an operationally oriented financial executive with broad life science expertise. He co-founded and served as CFO of Brammer Bio and Gallus Biopharmaceuticals which are both now part of Thermo Fisher Scientific. He previously served on the Boards of Cognate Bioservices and Brammer Bio. His operational responsibilities have included Finance, Business Development, Human Resources, Information Technology and the Legal functions. Kasok’s broader industry experiences included roles as Vice President and Treasurer of Millipore Corporation, CFO of Cabot Supermetals, and Treasurer and Business Development Officer at Haemonetics Corp, and a variety of roles in GE. He earned a BS in Finance from Clarkson University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

    Education & Affiliations

  • Daniel Wiegand, MSChE

    Co-founder, CEO

    Daniel is Co-founder, CEO and Board Director of EnPlusOne Bio. Previously, Daniel was an Advanced Technology Team staff member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and Dr. George Church’s lab at Harvard Medical School. At the Wyss, Daniel was extensively involved in developing translational technology revolving around microarray based high throughput DNA/RNA oligonucleotide library synthesis, large scale gene assembly and fluorescence in situ gene sequencing (FISSEQ). During his tenure at the Wyss Institute, Daniel lead the development of several cell free protein expression systems from non-standard bacteria such as Vibrio natriegens, Streptomyces coelicolor and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. His passion for protein engineering, mutagenesis and high-throughput expression techniques led to the development of novel enzymes that are currently being used to build a next-generation RNA oligonucleotide synthesis & manufacturing platform at EnPlusOne Bio. Daniel received his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University.

    CLOSE

    Daniel Wiegand, MSChE

    Co-founder, CEO

    Daniel is Co-founder, CEO and Board Director of EnPlusOne Bio. Previously, Daniel was an Advanced Technology Team staff member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and Dr. George Church’s lab at Harvard Medical School. At the Wyss, Daniel was extensively involved in developing translational technology revolving around microarray based high throughput DNA/RNA oligonucleotide library synthesis, large scale gene assembly and fluorescence in situ gene sequencing (FISSEQ). During his tenure at the Wyss Institute, Daniel lead the development of several cell free protein expression systems from non-standard bacteria such as Vibrio natriegens, Streptomyces coelicolor and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. His passion for protein engineering, mutagenesis and high-throughput expression techniques led to the development of novel enzymes that are currently being used to build a next-generation RNA oligonucleotide synthesis & manufacturing platform at EnPlusOne Bio. Daniel received his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University.

    Education & Affiliations

  • Dan Ahlstedt, MBA

    Co-founder, COO

    Dan is Co-founder, COO, and Board Director of EnPlusOne Bio. He joined the team while attending business school and was introduced to the scientific co-founders through participation in the Nucleate Program at Harvard. During this experience, Dan became convinced EnPlusOne had the technology and team to tackle the many problems facing RNA synthesis. Upon graduation, Dan was selected as a Blavatnik Fellow in Life Science Entrepreneurship which provided resources and mentorship instrumental in founding EnPlusOne. Working in the cutting-edge space of RNA is well-aligned with his passion for the biotechnology industry and rare diseases. Previously, he worked at Sanofi as a process engineer supporting large scale cGMP manufacturing of enzyme replacement therapies. Most recently, he led the design, construction, and validation of purification operations for a new continuous biomanufacturing facility, awarded the 2020 ISPE Facility of the Year. Dan earned his BS in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

    CLOSE

    Dan Ahlstedt, MBA

    Co-founder, COO

    Dan is Co-founder, COO, and Board Director of EnPlusOne Bio. He joined the team while attending business school and was introduced to the scientific co-founders through participation in the Nucleate Program at Harvard. During this experience, Dan became convinced EnPlusOne had the technology and team to tackle the many problems facing RNA synthesis. Upon graduation, Dan was selected as a Blavatnik Fellow in Life Science Entrepreneurship which provided resources and mentorship instrumental in founding EnPlusOne. Working in the cutting-edge space of RNA is well-aligned with his passion for the biotechnology industry and rare diseases. Previously, he worked at Sanofi as a process engineer supporting large scale cGMP manufacturing of enzyme replacement therapies. Most recently, he led the design, construction, and validation of purification operations for a new continuous biomanufacturing facility, awarded the 2020 ISPE Facility of the Year. Dan earned his BS in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

    Education & Affiliations

  • Daniel Janse, PhD

    Board Director

    Daniel Janse is a Director at Northpond Ventures on the firm’s biotechnologies team. Daniel is a Board Director at Aro Biotherapeutics and Triumvira Immunologics. Previously, Daniel was the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Business Officer at Arbor Biotechnologies, where he led scientific and general operations, business development, program and alliance management, and corporate development and strategy. Prior to Arbor, Daniel served in leadership positions in the U.S. and Europe at Juno Therapeutics, Johnson & Johnson Innovation Center, Inventages Venture Capital, and McKinsey & Company. Additionally, he was a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research in Austria. Daniel holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University, where he trained in the laboratory of Dr. George Church in the Department of Genetics. He earned a B.S. and B.A. with honors in Biochemistry and Economics from Brown University where he was an Oettinger National Scholar.

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    Daniel Janse, PhD

    Board Director

    Daniel Janse is a Director at Northpond Ventures on the firm’s biotechnologies team. Daniel is a Board Director at Aro Biotherapeutics and Triumvira Immunologics. Previously, Daniel was the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Business Officer at Arbor Biotechnologies, where he led scientific and general operations, business development, program and alliance management, and corporate development and strategy. Prior to Arbor, Daniel served in leadership positions in the U.S. and Europe at Juno Therapeutics, Johnson & Johnson Innovation Center, Inventages Venture Capital, and McKinsey & Company. Additionally, he was a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research in Austria. Daniel holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University, where he trained in the laboratory of Dr. George Church in the Department of Genetics. He earned a B.S. and B.A. with honors in Biochemistry and Economics from Brown University where he was an Oettinger National Scholar.

    Education & Affiliations

  • Andrew Lee, PhD

    Board Director

    Andrew Lee is a Vice President at Northpond Ventures on the firm’s life science R&D solutions, molecular diagnostics, and environmental sciences teams. Andrew is a Board Director at Culture Biosciences. Previously, he was an Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton working in the Biological Technologies Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where he supported the development and management of a high-risk, high-reward research funding portfolio in Gene Editing and Synthetic Biology. Earlier, Andrew worked at Sangamo Biosciences (now Sangamo Therapeutics). Andrew earned a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Columbia University. He received a B.A. with honors in Molecular and Cell Biology, with an emphasis in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, at University of California, Berkeley.

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    Andrew Lee, PhD

    Board Director

    Andrew Lee is a Vice President at Northpond Ventures on the firm’s life science R&D solutions, molecular diagnostics, and environmental sciences teams. Andrew is a Board Director at Culture Biosciences. Previously, he was an Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton working in the Biological Technologies Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where he supported the development and management of a high-risk, high-reward research funding portfolio in Gene Editing and Synthetic Biology. Earlier, Andrew worked at Sangamo Biosciences (now Sangamo Therapeutics). Andrew earned a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Columbia University. He received a B.A. with honors in Molecular and Cell Biology, with an emphasis in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, at University of California, Berkeley.

    Education & Affiliations

  • Julia Moore

    Board Observer

    Julia partners with bold entrepreneurs building the bio-based future. She is a Managing Partner at Breakout Ventures, investing in early stage companies harnessing the power of cells to build solutions in human health and sustainability.

    Julia has spent her career as an investor and operator, navigating the translation of new technologies in life sciences to customer adoption and scale. She has been investing in and building venture-backed, science-driven companies for the last 15 years and has worked with multiple companies from founding through IPO or M&A. Julia began her career as a public investor and research analyst on Wall Street. She is also a Kaufman Fellow. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where she studied Finance and Bioethics.

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    Julia Moore

    Board Observer

    Julia partners with bold entrepreneurs building the bio-based future. She is a Managing Partner at Breakout Ventures, investing in early stage companies harnessing the power of cells to build solutions in human health and sustainability.

    Julia has spent her career as an investor and operator, navigating the translation of new technologies in life sciences to customer adoption and scale. She has been investing in and building venture-backed, science-driven companies for the last 15 years and has worked with multiple companies from founding through IPO or M&A. Julia began her career as a public investor and research analyst on Wall Street. She is also a Kaufman Fellow. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where she studied Finance and Bioethics.

    Education & Affiliations

  • Jonathan Rittichier, PhD

    Co-founder, CSO

    Jonathan is Co-founder and CSO of EnPlusOne Bio. He performed his graduate work in organic synthesis at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. During his time there, he secured a Briscoe Fellowship and worked in the laboratory of Professor Michael Vannieuwenhze. Much of this work was toward synthesizing 1) novel fluorescent probes to spy on bacteria and 2) macrocyclic natural products to kill them. He joined George Church’s Research Group at Harvard Medical School where he helped develop an enzymatic RNA synthesis platform that formed the technical basis of EnPlusOne Bio. Jonathan earned his BS in Chemistry from Indiana Wesleyan University and a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Indiana University.

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    Jonathan Rittichier, PhD

    Co-founder, CSO

    Jonathan is Co-founder and CSO of EnPlusOne Bio. He performed his graduate work in organic synthesis at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. During his time there, he secured a Briscoe Fellowship and worked in the laboratory of Professor Michael Vannieuwenhze. Much of this work was toward synthesizing 1) novel fluorescent probes to spy on bacteria and 2) macrocyclic natural products to kill them. He joined George Church’s Research Group at Harvard Medical School where he helped develop an enzymatic RNA synthesis platform that formed the technical basis of EnPlusOne Bio. Jonathan earned his BS in Chemistry from Indiana Wesleyan University and a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Indiana University.

    Education & Affiliations

  • Jonathan Watts, PhD

    Scientific Advisor

    Jon grew up in Halifax, Canada, and received his BSc in 2001 from Dalhousie University, winning the University Medal in Chemistry and conducting work in carbohydrate synthesis with Professor Bruce Grindley. After a year in the non-profit sector in Cote d’Ivoire, Jon returned to science and to Canada and received his PhD in 2008, working with Professor Masad Damha at McGill University. His doctoral work included the development of two new oligonucleotide analogues, an exploration of why 2′-fluorinated oligonucleotides show such high binding affinity, and studies on the chemical modification of ASOs and siRNAs. He then moved to Professor David Corey’s lab at UT Southwestern for postdoctoral studies, where his work included the chemical modification of promoter-targeted duplex RNAs and the use of oligonucleotide-oligospermine conjugates as antisense and antigene oligonucleotides. In 2012 Jon started his independent group at the University of Southampton, UK, where he received the 2013 Young Investigator Award from the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society and the 2015 Vice Chancellor’s Award for teaching. In summer 2015 he was recruited to the RNA Therapeutics Institute at UMass Medical School, where he is a professor.

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    Jonathan Watts, PhD

    Scientific Advisor

    Jon grew up in Halifax, Canada, and received his BSc in 2001 from Dalhousie University, winning the University Medal in Chemistry and conducting work in carbohydrate synthesis with Professor Bruce Grindley. After a year in the non-profit sector in Cote d’Ivoire, Jon returned to science and to Canada and received his PhD in 2008, working with Professor Masad Damha at McGill University. His doctoral work included the development of two new oligonucleotide analogues, an exploration of why 2′-fluorinated oligonucleotides show such high binding affinity, and studies on the chemical modification of ASOs and siRNAs. He then moved to Professor David Corey’s lab at UT Southwestern for postdoctoral studies, where his work included the chemical modification of promoter-targeted duplex RNAs and the use of oligonucleotide-oligospermine conjugates as antisense and antigene oligonucleotides. In 2012 Jon started his independent group at the University of Southampton, UK, where he received the 2013 Young Investigator Award from the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society and the 2015 Vice Chancellor’s Award for teaching. In summer 2015 he was recruited to the RNA Therapeutics Institute at UMass Medical School, where he is a professor.

    Education & Affiliations

  • George Church, PhD

    Co-founder, Advisor

    George is Co-founder and Scientific Advisor of EnPlusOne Bio. He leads Synthetic Biology at the Wyss Institute, where he oversees the directed evolution of molecules, polymers and whole genomes to create new tools with applications in regenerative medicine and bioproduction of chemicals. Among his recent work at the Wyss, is development of a technology for synthesizing whole genes and engineering whole genomes, far faster, more accurate, and less costly than current methods. George is widely recognized for his innovative contributions to genomic science and his many pioneering contributions to chemistry and biomedicine. In 1984, he developed the first direct genomic sequencing method, which resulted in the first genome sequence (the human pathogen, H. pylori). He helped initiate the Human Genome Project in 1984 and the Personal Genome Project in 2005. George invented the broadly applied concepts of molecular multiplexing and tags, homologous recombination methods, and array DNA synthesizers.

    His many innovations have been the basis for a number of companies including Editas (Gene therapy), Gen9bio (Synthetic DNA), Veritas & Nebula (full human genome). George is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has been Director of the U.S. Department of Energy Technology Center and Director of the National Institutes of Health Center of Excellence in Genomic Science. He has received numerous awards including the 2011 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science from the Franklin Institute and election to the National Academy of Sciences and Engineering.

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    George Church, PhD

    Co-founder, Advisor

    George is Co-founder and Scientific Advisor of EnPlusOne Bio. He leads Synthetic Biology at the Wyss Institute, where he oversees the directed evolution of molecules, polymers and whole genomes to create new tools with applications in regenerative medicine and bioproduction of chemicals. Among his recent work at the Wyss, is development of a technology for synthesizing whole genes and engineering whole genomes, far faster, more accurate, and less costly than current methods. George is widely recognized for his innovative contributions to genomic science and his many pioneering contributions to chemistry and biomedicine. In 1984, he developed the first direct genomic sequencing method, which resulted in the first genome sequence (the human pathogen, H. pylori). He helped initiate the Human Genome Project in 1984 and the Personal Genome Project in 2005. George invented the broadly applied concepts of molecular multiplexing and tags, homologous recombination methods, and array DNA synthesizers.

    His many innovations have been the basis for a number of companies including Editas (Gene therapy), Gen9bio (Synthetic DNA), Veritas & Nebula (full human genome). George is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has been Director of the U.S. Department of Energy Technology Center and Director of the National Institutes of Health Center of Excellence in Genomic Science. He has received numerous awards including the 2011 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science from the Franklin Institute and election to the National Academy of Sciences and Engineering.

    Education & Affiliations