Feng Zhang to be inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame

Broad Institute core member Feng Zhang, along with 15 other innovators, will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. In partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Hall of Fame will honor the latest class of inductees on May 7 at an event in Washington DC. 

In addition to his appointment at Broad, Zhang is the James and Patricia Poitras Professor of Neuroscience at MIT and has joint appointments in the departments of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Biological Engineering. He is also an investigator at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, an investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and co-director of the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Center for Molecular Therapeutics at MIT.

Zhang is recognized by the organization for “inventing transformative technologies to improve human health, including pioneering the use of engineered CRISPR-Cas9 systems for genome editing in human cells and harnessing CRISPR-Cas12 and Cas13 systems. He also has co-founded several companies to commercialize these technologies, including for diagnostic and therapeutic uses.”

“The National Inventors Hall of Fame is committed to illuminating the legacies of world-changing inventors and creating opportunities for the next generation to learn from these innovative role models,” said Monica Jones, chief executive officer of the National Inventors Hall of Fame. “Induction into the Hall of Fame honors the significance of these advances, which have enhanced our daily lives and well-being.”

Find out more information about the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the 2026 inductees here.