The American Chemical Society (ACS) is proud to announce that Jennifer A. Doudna is the recipient of the 2026 Priestley Medal. This award is the highest honor bestowed by ACS, and it annually recognizes an individual for distinguished service to chemistry. Doudna receives the award for “outstanding discoveries on ribozyme function, Dicer and double-stranded RNA processing and CRISPR gene editing, and for impactful international science leadership.”
Doudna has received dozens of awards and honors, including the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, which she shared with Emmanuelle Charpentier for their work on CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing.
This revolutionary technology enabled scientists to make precise changes to DNA with unprecedented accuracy and efficiency, fundamentally transforming biology and medicine. Working with Charpentier, Doudna developed “molecular scissors” that can target specific genetic sequences. The breakthrough came from fundamental studies of bacterial immunity systems, where she discovered that by changing the guide RNA sequence, DNA cleavage by the Cas9 enzyme could be programmed.
The technique is now used worldwide in laboratories to advance research in molecular biology, genetics, cell biology and pharmaceutical science. Beyond laboratory applications, CRISPR-Cas9 technology holds enormous potential for treating genetic diseases, improving crops and developing new therapeutic approaches. Doudna showed that this bacterial defense system could be reprogrammed for precise genome editing in virtually any organism.
"Jennifer’s career and discoveries have been nothing short of phenomenal,” says Michael Marletta, professor of chemistry and molecular and cell biology at University of California, Berkeley. “She is a national and international leader in science. She is a strong and visible role model for women across the globe. She leads by her devoted mentorship to her students and postdocs. Her leadership in charting a course for the ethical use of gene editing has been essential."
Doudna holds several positions, including investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, professor of molecular and cell biology and chemistry at UC Berkeley, and founder of the Innovative Genomics Institute. She earned her undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Pomona College and a Ph.D. in biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology from Harvard Medical School.
Doudna will formally accept the Priestley Medal and deliver an address at ACS Spring 2026.