Harris is the Chair of the Department of Systems Biology and a joint Professor in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, with an additional appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He holds a double B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from MIT and a Ph.D. in Biophysics and Medical Engineering and Medical Physics from Harvard University, where he worked in the lab of renowned geneticist George Church. There, he led groundbreaking work on recoding the entire E. coli genome — a major milestone in synthetic biology.
Harris’s research focuses on developing cutting-edge genetic engineering and microbiome engineering technologies with transformative potential for health, biotechnology, and sustainability. He is widely recognized as one of the most creative and prolific young leaders in systems and synthetic biology. His many honors include CZ Biohub Investigator, the Vilcek Prize, Blavatnik National Award, PECASE, Sloan Research Fellowship, NSF CAREER, and multiple other prestigious distinctions.
Known for his scientific vision, mentorship, and collaborative spirit, Harris is deeply committed to training the next generation of innovators while pursuing high-impact research programs.
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