Silvana Konermann Explained

Silvana Konermann
Birth Date:18 May 1988
Birth Place:Baden, Switzerland
Fields:Bioengineering, Neuroscience
Workplaces:Stanford University, Arc Institute
Education:
  • ETH Zurich (BSc)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (PhD)
Thesis Title:Interrogation and control of mammalian transcription
Thesis1 Url:and
Thesis2 Url:)-->
Thesis Year:2016
Doctoral Advisor:Feng Zhang
Spouse:Patrick Collison
Partners:)-->

Silvana Konermann is a Swiss-American bioengineer and neuroscientist whose research focuses on CRISPR, genome engineering, transcription and epigenetics, and Alzheimer's disease. She is an assistant professor of biochemistry at Stanford University, as well as co-founder and executive director of the Arc Institute in Palo Alto, California.

Biography

Konermann attended Sächsisches Landesgymnasium Sankt Afra zu Meißen in Saxony, Germany, before matriculating in 2006 at ETH Zurich, where she completed her bachelor of science degree in neurobiology in three years.

She then moved to the United States and worked in the lab of Carlos Lois before entering the doctoral program in neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, receiving her Ph.D. in 2016 working in Feng Zhang's group. Since 2017, she has been an HHMI (Howard Hughes Medical Institute) Hanna H. Gray Fellow. She has also been a CZ Biohub Investigator and a postdoctoral fellow at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of California, Berkeley working with Patrick Hsu. In 2019, she joined Stanford as an assistant professor.[1]

Konermann's research uses genome engineering technologies to investigate the genetic and molecular drivers of Alzheimer’s disease risk.

21546 Konermann, a minor planet, was named after her, in honor of her 2006 second-place finish in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. At that time she was a senior at Sankt Afra in Meissen, Germany.[2]

In June 2022, Konermann married Irish-American tech billionaire Patrick Collison, the co-founder and CEO of Stripe, with whom she co-founded Fast Grants and later the Arc Institute.[3] Konermann met Collison during the 2004 EU Young Scientist competition.[3] [4] [5]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Schmadel, Lutz D.. Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. 6th. Springer. 2012. 9783642297182. 21546 Konermann. 1020. https://books.google.com/books?id=aeAg1X7afOoC&pg=PA1020.
  2. News: Butler . Roisin . Inside Stripe CEO Patrick Collison's family life as he weds childhood sweetheart . 20 November 2022 . Irish Mirror . 29 June 2022.
  3. News: Backed by tech entrepreneurs, Arc Institute adds to its scientific ranks . 7 November 2023 . www.bizjournals.com . 21 September 2023.
  4. News: Piper . Kelsey . This new charity offers scientists coronavirus grants in 48 hours . Vox . 21 April 2020 . en.