About Us

CRISPRcon is a unique forum bringing diverse voices together to discuss the future of CRISPR and gene editing technologies across applications in agriculture, health, conservation, and more. CRISPRcon sparks curiosity, builds understanding, and highlights societal histories and other context relevant to decisions on gene editing technologies.

CRISPRcon is a program of the Keystone Policy Center, a nonprofit founded in 1975 to help diverse leaders reach higher common ground on pressing issues in agriculture, natural resources, energy, education, and health. In all efforts, Keystone maintains an unwavering position of independence, not advocating for any single position.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to the following individuals who have helped support the CRISPRcon mission by inspiring ideas, identifying possible speakers and discussion topics, and sparking dialogue about these critical issues.

Past moderators include:

  • Hidde Boersma, Freelance Science Writer, Documentary Filmmaker
  • Ryan Cross, Chemical & Engineering News
  • Sarah Davidson Evanega, Cornell Alliance for Science
  • Amy Dockser Marcus, Wall Street Journal
  • Michael Fernandez, George Washington University Sustainability Collaborative (previous affiliation)
  • Carey Goldberg, WBUR
  • Jo Handelsman, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery
  • Tamar Haspel, Washington Post
  • Marianne Heselmans, Independent Science Writer, Biologist
  • Desiree Hoving, Independent Science Journalist
  • Nathanael Johnson, Grist
  • Jennifer Kahn, New York Times Magazine, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
  • Michael Krasny, KQED FORUM, San Francisco State University
  • Jennifer Kuzma, North Carolina State University
  • Katie Ledingham, University of Exeter
  • Lorez Meinhold, Keystone Policy Center (previous affiliation)
  • Megan Molteni, WIRED
  • Maywa Montenegro, University of California-Davis, Department of Human Ecology
  • Emily Mullin, MIT Technology Review (previous affiliation)
  • Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs
  • Julie Shapiro, Keystone Policy Center
  • David Sittenfeld, Forum at the Museum of Science, Boston
  • Kelly Tyrrell, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Erika Widegren, Re-Imagine Europa
  • Jop de Vrieze, Independent Investigative Science Journalist

Institutional hosts, advisors, and others who have been instrumental in supporting CRISPRcon include:

  • Dirk Bosch, Wageningen University & Research
  • Dominique Brossard, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Katarina Cankar, Wageningen University & Research
  • Melanie Cantarutti, Innovative Genomics Institute
  • Art Caplan, New York University Langone Medical Center
  • Sarah Davidson Evanega, Cornell Alliance for Science
  • Jennifer Doudna, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and University of California Berkeley
  • Cassie Edgar, McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC
  • Kevin FitzGerald, Creighton University
  • Tom Foti, Aldevron
  • Michael Friend, Minority Coalition for Precision Medicine
  • Sarah Gallo, Biotechnology Innovation Organization
  • Marnie Gelbart, Personal Genetics Education Project (pgEd)
  • J. Keith Gilles, University of California Berkeley College of Natural Resources
  • Neal Gutterson, Corteva Agriscience
  • Rachel Haurwitz, Caribou Bioscience
  • Laura Heisler, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Morgridge Institute for Research
  • Tim Hunt, Editas Medicine
  • Greg Jaffe, Center for Science in the Public Interest
  • Jerry Flint, National Pork Board
  • Shawna Lemke, Bayer
  • Lee McGuire, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
  • Emily Metz, Genus plc
  • Jeff Moen, Noble Research Institute, LLC
  • Julie Pryor, McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT
  • Brian Reuwee, United Soybean Board
  • Krishanu Saha, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery
  • Rebecca Shaw, World Wildlife Fund
  • Delphine Thizy
  • Ernst van den Ende, Wageningen University & Research
  • Lea Witkowsky, Innovative Genomics Institute

Thank you as well to all past CRISPRcon speakers, who have included farmers, conservationists, researchers, ethicists, rare disease and disability advocates, religious leaders, tribal and indigenous leaders, business leaders, journalists, policymakers, and more. You can view past speakers’ names and bios on the event pages. Finally, thanks to all CRISPRcon participants who have contributed their insights though polling, small group discussion, and feedback surveys and who have helped us question, learn, and improve our events.