Harris H. Wang

Harris H. Wang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Systems Biology and Department of Pathology and Cell Biology at Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, where he also serves as Interim Chair of Systems Biology. He is affiliated with the Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (C2B2) and the Integrated Program in Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical Studies (CMBS).

• B.S., Physics and Mathematics, MIT
• Ph.D., Biophysics, Harvard University

Dr. Wang's research lies at the intersection of systems and synthetic biology, focusing on developing foundational technologies for genome engineering, microbiome manipulation, and synthetic genomics. His lab pioneers methods such as MAGE, MAGIC, CAST, and CAMII to enable high-throughput genetic manipulation, in situ microbiome engineering, and AI-driven microbial culturomics. Key research themes include understanding microbial community dynamics, engineering cellular memory systems, designing biocontained genetic circuits, and applying synthetic biology to human health challenges in personalized medicine and infectious disease.

His recent publications reveal a strong trend in spatial and functional metagenomics, CRISPR-based microbiome editing, and synthetic biology tools for data storage and genetic stability. The articles span high-impact journals like Nature, Science, and Nature Biotechnology, reflecting his leadership in developing scalable, programmable biological systems.

Scientific Awards:

• NIH Director’s Early Independence Award
• Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science
• Sloan Research Fellowship
• NSF CAREER Award
• ONR Young Investigator Award
• Burroughs Wellcome Fund PATH Award
• Schaefer Scholar
• Blavatnik National Award
• Vilcek Prize
• PECASE

Dr. Wang has advised numerous PhD and postdoctoral researchers, many of whom have gone on to independent scientific careers. His lab is supported by major grants from NIH, NSF, DARPA, DOE, and foundations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and CZ Biohub NY. He is actively involved in educational initiatives, including organizing Columbia’s iGEM team and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Synthetic Biology course.

The Wang Lab is based at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center and is part of national consortia such as the Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) and the Genome Project-Write (GP-Write) initiative. The lab develops and applies cutting-edge technologies in automation, machine learning, and synthetic biology to engineer microbiomes for applications in medicine, global health, and climate change.