Dr. Samarth (Sam) Kulkarni is the chief executive officer of CRISPR Therapeutics, a leading gene-editing company focused on the development of transformative medicines using its proprietary CRISPR/Cas9 platform. Dr. Samarth Kulkarni has significant expertise in strategy and operations in biotech and a wide range of related cutting-edge therapeutic technologies. He joined CRISPR in the early stages of the company as chief business officer and was responsible for setting the company’s corporate strategy, supporting the financing and establishing the Bayer and Vertex partnerships. Sam also serves on the board of Casebia Therapeutics, a joint venture between CRISPR Therapeutics and Bayer AG.
Sam was previously a partner at McKinsey and Company, where he had a leading role in the pharmaceutical and medical products practice. While at McKinsey, Sam co-led the biotech practice and served a number of biotechnology companies on topics ranging from strategy to operations. Additionally, he led initiatives in areas such as personalized medicine and immunotherapy, where he co-authored several publications.
Sam holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in biotechnology and biochemical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur, India, and dual Ph.D. degrees in bioengineering and nanotechnology from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. While at the University of Washington, he conducted research in the delivery of biological drugs and in the field of molecular diagnostics and published in numerous leading journals.